Vermillion Huntress
by So many taken usernames
Summary: Noel Vermillion and her friends Tsubaki Yayoi, Makoto Nanaya, and Ragna Mutsuki enter the prestigious school Beacon Academy to train in the ways of the Hunters and Huntresses. But for the four friends, trouble is never far away, especially when you're hanging out with team RWBY.
1. Welcome To Beacon

**A BLAZBLUE/RWBY CROSSOVER! MY FAVORITE GAME AND MY FAVORITE SHOW, COMING TOGETHER AT LAST! THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE STORY IS NOEL VERMILLION (MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING, ALTHOUGH HER TITLE IS THREATENED BY BLAKE AND WEISS) AND THE STORY WILL MOSTLY BE TOLD FROM HER POINT OF VIEW, BUT I WON'T NEGLECT THE OTHER CHARACTERS. THE STORY WILL ONLY BE TOLD FROM TEAM NTRM AND JIN'S (NTRM BEING NOEL, TSUBAKI, RAGNA, AND MAKOTO) POINT OF VIEW, BUT TEAMS RWBY AND JNPR WILL PLAY MAJOR ROLES IN THE STORY. ORIGINALLY, THE TEAM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE NTJM (REPLACING RAGNA WITH JIN) BUT I COULDN'T FIND A WORD WITH ALL FOUR LETTERS THAT I FOUND SUITABLE, SO JIN HAS FOUND ANOTHER LINE OF WORK (THAT YOU WILL SEE VERY SOON). FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE STORY, RAGNA ISN'T RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE, HE WAS ADOPTED BY THE MUTSUKI FAMILY AFTER HIS HOME BURNED DOWN (THAT CRUCIAL PART OF THE STORY IS STILL THERE, HOW COULD I DO ANYTHING TO RAGNA'S AMAZING BACKSTORY?!). ENJOY!**

* * *

When one who had aspired to be a Huntress all her life turned 17, it was quite possibly the most important moment of her life. Tsubaki Yayoi had waited patiently for the day she could go the Beacon and study in the ways of the Huntress and protect humanity from the Grimm. However, things weren't that simple for her. It wasn't just about learning and achieving her childhood dream. She brought along her three childhood friends, who, to be honest, had nothing better to do. Makoto Nanaya, a rambunctious fauna, needed something to occupy her time and energy. Ragna Mutsuki, the mysterious adopted child whose house had been burned and had wandered the streets for many years before being adopted by the Mutsuki family, had a special ability that made him one of the most powerful individuals in Vale, and Tsubaki saw to it that he learn how to use it. Noel Vermillion, a meek girl with virtually no self-confidence, simply went to Beacon because her three friends were going. Tsubaki had her hands full with the motley crew. She wished Jin Kisaragi was around to help her. He was her childhood friend long before she met Ragna, but Noel and Makoto knew him as well, although he was less than friendly towards poor Noel. He was the one person Tsubaki felt she could identify with, and she knew that her feelings for him transcended friendship. But he was elsewhere and she had her own problems to deal with. The ship landed on the docking bay, and her dreams landed with them. Their journey had ended; they were no longer dreams.

* * *

"Hey, Ragna! Wake up!" Makoto shouted, shaking the white-haired young man from his slumber.

"What the hell?"

"We're at Beacon," the girl told him. He could see her chestnut brown tail bobbing from above her head.

"Goddammit. Just give me five more minutes, will ya?"

"We have to go now!" She insisted. Ragna grabbed his sword, Blood Scythe, from the ground and stalked past her.

"By the way, you have drool on your face," Makoto said as he walked away.

"And why didn't you say anything earlier, huh?" He snarled, wiping it away. He saw Tsubaki herding the annoyingly passive Noel out of the ship and groaned.

"Whoop dee doo. Beacon Acadamy," he muttered. He and Makoto exited the ship and joined the crowd as they oohed and aahed at the magnificent castle. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, a place where legends and myths made their home. In a way, it was. Hunters and Huntresses were very legendary. Ragna, however, was unimpressed. He stalked towards Tsubaki and Noel, Makoto trailing after him.

"Thanks, Makoto. Honestly, Ragna, you have no patience," Tsubaki scolded. Makoto beamed and rushed towards Noel. The two girls were very close. If Ragna didn't know better, he'd have sworn they were a couple.

"All in a days work, Queen Tsubaki!"

"S-Stop that!" The red-haired girl said modestly. Ragna chuckled and she glared at him.

"You're not off the hook, you know. You're going to have to learn to be patient if you ever want to become a Hunter."

"Yeah, and that's the problem. I don't."

"But you need to. That power...the Azure...it's dangerous. You don't know how to use it and it could activate any second," Tsubaki said. She was talking about a time in the past when the Azure had gone off by itself, one of the only two times he'd used it. Noel looked down. The memory was almost as painful to him as it was to her.

"Couldn't I read a book or something? Why the hell should I learn to be a Hunter to make sure my hand doesn't explode?"

"Ragna..." Tsubaki warned. He sighed and walked ahead. The three girls trailed after him. He knew they meant well, but Ragna was never an ambitious person. He was always more of a rebel, and when someone told him to do something, he instinctively decided he'd do the opposite. He continued to walk when he felt a metal object smack into his head. He whirled around and scowled. He was looking at an awkward blonde boy who knew he had made a mistake.

* * *

"Watch where you're swinging that thing, dumbass," Ragna said, indicating the shield.

"S-Sorry!" The boy said.

"Ragna, don't be so hard on him. It was a mistake," Tsubaki said.

"A mistake? That hurt like a damn truck!"

"That's an exaggeration and you know it."

"Seriously, that shield is pretty damn heavy!"

"Yeah, it's, uh, designed to be like that."

"Watch it, kid."

"Aren't we the same age?" The blonde boy asked tentatively. Ragna glared at him and Tsubaki had a restraining hand on Ragna's shoulder.

"Look, just put that thing where you can't take off someone's head with it. And get your hand off me, Tsubaki. I'm not gonna hurt him. I don't just fly off the handle at the flip of a damn switch," he said testily.

"You do have a reputation for fights."

"That was back at our hometown. There's no one to screw with me out here." As they spoke, the blonde boy had left in a hurry, and Noel and Makoto had walked far ahead. The two found themselves arguing on a near empty path. They looked ahead and hurried to their friends.

* * *

Makoto found herself and Noel in a large auditorium, stuck between countless students walking to find their friends.

"We're taking the first step, Noel! Isn't this awesome?" She asked her shy friend.

"I-I suppose..."

"Aren't you excited?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"...Everything." Makoto laughed and tussled Noel's hair.

"Look, things are never as bad as you think they'll be! You've got me, Ragna, and Tsubaki! What could go wrong?"

"What if I get lost? What if I can't find you? What if I can't find anything?" Noel asked, her upper lip quivering. Noel wasn't antisocial, but she was incredibly shy, and there was nothing she feared more than talking to anyone who wasn't Makoto, Ragna, or Tsubaki. Although she wasn't fond of talking to Ragna, to be perfectly honest. He was mean.

"It'll be okay. I'll watch over you as your squirrel-y guardian!" Makoto said enthusiastically. She couldn't resist Noel in the slightest. Her wide eyes, small figure, and wavering, stuttering voice were impossibly adorable. Combine the three and Makoto saw before her a dangerous weapon that could be used for good...or evil.

"Makoto..." Noel said, her voice dripping with relief. She relied on Makoto a lot. Perhaps even too much. Although she knew Noel would have to someday fight her own fights, for now Makoto was fine with fighting them for her.

"Hey," Ragna said, sulking.

"Ragna. Where'd you run off to?" Makoto asked.

"He yelled at a student," Tsubaki said curtly.

"He whacked me in the head with a damn shield," was the feeble protest. Tsubaki had a way of controlling the wild white-haired rebel.

* * *

"I'll...keep this brief," a bespectacled, gray-haired man said, pushing up his glasses.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people," he said. Everyone beamed.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." At this, many began to frown, their enthusiastic smiles replaced with insulted expressions.

"Bullshit," Ragna spat. The man ignored him, and he drew to him the approving gaze of a blonde girl, clearly impressed with his spunk.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With that, the man walked away with a slight limp. Noel looked absolutely frightened. She was never the smartest, and all the talk of knowledge made her afraid of the inevitable classes that would ensue.

"I'll never make it," she sighed. Tsubaki put a kind hand on her shoulder.

"I'll help you study, okay? Just like we did at Signal." Noel looked up hopefully.

"Really?"

"What are friends for?" Tsubaki replied, smiling proudly. Seeing Noel's face light up was one of the highlights of her life. She couldn't help it. Noel was so vulnerable, and Tsubaki wanted to do everything she could to help her grown from a meek girl into a strong woman. Meanwhile, Ragna sighed. A woman was saying something into the microphone, but he wasn't even listening.

* * *

The four had rolled out their beds next to each other. Ragna slept on the far side next to Tsubaki. She didn't want him anywhere near Noel and Makoto. She knew Ragna would never look, much less do anything, but she felt protective of her friends and their...revealing sleepwear. Makoto wore a a shirt that hardly went past her cleavage and incredibly short shorts. She always wore clothes like this, which was a doubly bad move, seeing as how she was a fauna and an attractive teenage girl. Tsubaki heard people snicker at Makoto's tail and ears, and she clenched her fists. Ragna got up and walked over to them. She got up after him, leaving Makoto to compliment Noel on the very short nightgown she wore that Makoto herself had bought for her. Noel looked incredibly embarrassed.

"Hey," Ragna snarled.

"Who the hell are you?" A boy from the group who'd laughed at Makoto asked. There was another boy and one girl beside him.

"I couldn't help but notice you were chuckling like a piece of shit at my friend over there," Ragna said, pointing to Makoto.

"The fauna? You have a crappy choice in friends, albino."

"The name's Ragna, but you can call me the guy who's gonna rip you a new asshole." Tsubaki then chose to intervene, stepping in between Ragna and the group of teens.

"Looks like your girlfriend doesn't approve of the idea. Go back to playing with your pet," the girl said. The boy next to her snickered. Tsubaki turned red with rage and glanced at the oblivious Makoto, but controlled herself.

"Ragna, don't start anything."

"They started this, I'm just ending it. You can give me a hand. You don't like these arrogant pieces of shit trash talking Makoto any more than I do."

"Ragna, stop."

"Listen to her. She's at least got half a brain. Surprising, considering the rest of her family. Isn't that right, Tsubaki?" One of the boys said. That was when Ragna lost it. He pushed Tsubaki aside and grabbed the boy by his shirt collar. She pushed him away and Ragna stumbled. Over form the opposite side of the room, the blonde haired girl who'd seen Ragna at the auditorium walked over.

"Yang!" A red-haired girl called.

"I'll be back. I see something fun going on," she said. It was at this point that Makoto and Noel noticed exactly what was happening.

* * *

Makoto told Noel to wait and walked over, arriving at the same time as the blonde girl named Yang.

"Are you starting a fight?" She asked Ragna, who glared at her.

"This isn't your problem."

"But it looks fun. That's some pretty heated arguing you've got going."

"Guys, Noel's tired and so am I. Let's get some sleep," Makoto said, hoping at least Tsubaki would listen.

"And here's the dog herself," one of the teens said.

"This is a squirrel's tail," she protested. Noel got up behind her, but hesitated to walk over. Ragna's knuckles were white, as were Tsubaki's.

"Let's leave things be. We need to sleep. Initiation is tomorrow," she said. Ragna snarled.

"Like hell we do!"

"Quit acting tough and stop this!" Tsubaki shouted. The three teens were laughing.

"Acting tough? You know what our childhood was like. If you expect me to walk away from this, you're wrong. I'll end it like you said, but not the way you want. Like all the other fights, this is going in the same direction." Ragna swung a fist at the unsuspecting boy. He grinned as his knuckles made contact with his stupid, smug face. Yang grinned as well, but held Ragna back.

"Get off me, you dumb blonde!"

"Hair insults are off-limits. Besides, do you want to get expelled or something? We haven't even been to initiation yet."

"Say it was self-defense. Say they were harassing Makoto here," Ragna said. Tsubaki seethed with rage, and Makoto was looking on with shock and slight appreciation. Noel sat back down immediately, knowing not to get involved. She simply tried to go to sleep.

"Well, from what I hear, they were. What the hell. Bedroom brawl!" Yang shouted, tackling the closest teen to her, the remaining boy. The girl backed away and Ragna advanced, looking absolutely murderous. Well, he was until the woman who spoke at the auditorium walked in.

"What is this?!" She screamed. Ragna stepped back, struck with instant fear.

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Glynda Goodwitch shouted at Ragna and Yang. Tsubaki, Makoto, and the three teens stood behind them.

"They picked a fight with Makoto, and if anyone was gonna get in trouble, it was gonna be me," Ragna said defiantly.

"And you, Ms. Long?"

"They looked like they were having fun," she said innocently.

"Fun?! That is your idea of fun?! Ms. Long, if I had my way, you'd be expelled. However, Professor Ozpin doesn't like expelling students until after initiation."

"What about tall, dark, and handsome over here?" Yang asked jokingly, pointing to Ragna. He was anything but dark.

"He gets to stay as well. However, Professor Ozpin wants to speak to him," she said. clearly not ready to directly address the young man. He scowled.

"We're very sorry that this happened. I promise that Ragna will control his feelings from now on," Tsubaki said instinctively.

"You six may go," Glynda said, indicating everyone except Ragna.

* * *

"Ragna Mutsuki. You are...a special case," Ozpin said.

"No shit," Ragna growled.

"The Azure Grimoire on your right arm is problematic. You have more reason to be here than most students to, for if that power cannot be controlled...well, I don't have to say anything about the consequences. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to ensure you stay at Beacon. However, you have to try as well. I can't carry you through four whole years if you continue acting out like this."

"I don't even want to be here, you know. Might as well save me the trouble of getting expelled later and kick me out now."

"You wouldn't leave your friends like that," Ozpin said. Ragna seethed, knowing the headmaster was right.

"When classes begin, I am assigning you a special teacher, someone who not many at Beacon know about. He will instruct you on how to control your power."

"And who is this guy?"

"Jubei."

"Any last name?"

"No."

"Well, that's great. Any chance I get to meet this guy?"

"He doesn't like being seen."

"Of course he doesn't. Thanks for wasting my time." Ozpin sighed.

"You should really learn at least some semblance of respect."

"Yadda yadda yadda." And with that, Ragna went to join his companions as they slept.

* * *

**AND THAT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER! THIS WAS A VERY RAGNA-CENTRIC CHAPTER DESPITE MY PROMISE IT WOULD REVOLVE MOSTLY AROUND NOEL. BUT NEVER FEAR, NOEL FANS! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE ALMOST COMPLETELY ABOUT HER. ALSO, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF MY PORTRAYAL OF A YOUNGER RAGNA. I THINK I MADE HIM TOO CLICHE, BUT THEN AGAIN, RAGNA IS QUITE A CLICHE CHARACTER. BESIDES, THE BACKSTORY I'VE MADE FOR HIM HELPS EXPLAIN WHY HE'S EVEN MORE CONFRONTATIONAL THAN HE IS IN THE GAMES. ALSO, FORESHADOWING ABOUT JUBEI!  
**


	2. Raining Noel

Noel Vermillion was having a bad day. First, she had woken up late. Makoto had to shake her awake and get her into her clothes and to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Then, she spilled maple syrup on her clothes during breakfast and had to change into Tsubaki's spares, as Noel's spare clothes hadn't shipped to Beacon yet. There wasn't enough space for all four friends to bring their clothes along, so Noel opted to wait. She then had a small hysterical fit because Tsubaki's shirt was too big for her around the chest area, and then got lost when Makoto, in her excitement, left without Noel, and was followed by a worried Ragna and Tsubaki.

"It had to have been locker 69, but that Yang girl said it was hers...then maybe it was 271? No, wait, that was Makoto's...hey, wait! If I go there, I might find her! Wait till I tell Ragna! He won't be so quick to call me stupid anymore! I hope..." Noel mused to herself, so eager to get Ragna to stop insulting her and to find her friends that she ran into a girl in white.

"Watch where you're going!" She scolded. Noel cowered, but then realized who she was talking to. She was addressing the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

"W-W-W..." Weiss glared at Noel.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Wei..."

"Are you asking why you should watch where you're going?! Are you really that impudent?!"

"Weiss..." Weiss frowned.

"Yes, I know my name. Do you know yours? You don't seem to be fully...there."

"Weiss Schnee?"

"Yes, I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Wow!"

"Yes, wow. Can you please move?"

"Move? Move! Oh, right, sorry, I'm so, so sorry, sorry sorry sorry..." Noel trailed on like that for a while, prompting Weiss to cover her mouth.

"Just stop apologizing," she sighed, walking off. Noel looked after the girl, and breathed deeply.

"That...that could have been a lot worse," she moaned, walking towards Makoto's locker.

* * *

At the locker, she found absolutely no one. There were people there, still talking, but Noel didn't see any familiar faces. She pressed her back against Makoto's locker, and saw out of the corner of her eye a small brown hair.

"So this is hers..." She said to herself. However, that didn't matter. What Noel had to do now was one of the most trying experiences she'd ever faced. There was a orange-haired girl, her mouth moving up and down like it was being pulled by rope. She was talking to a boy with black hair with a magenta streak running through one of the strands, and he looked both bored and annoyed. However, the girl didn't seem to notice.

"So then, after we make the secret signal, we should totally make another secret signal!" The girl said excitedly.

"Exactly what purpose does that serve?" The boy asked calmly.

"It's fun! Besides, what if we need one? We could be separated and need means of communication. We should make an entire secret signal alphabet! Yeah! We can use it during class for secret messages. The teachers will have no idea what we're saying!" The girl replied.

"Won't they hear us making weird noises?" The boy asked, just as calm as before.

"Ooh, good point! We should have letters, too! People will think we're writing each other random shapes, but we'll be communicating! You can give me all the test answers, and I can do...others stuff!"

"Nora...what if I don't know the answers?"

"You always know the answers, silly!" Noel backed away. She wasn't sure she wanted to ask them. She'd already had a jarring experience with Weiss Schnee of all people, and she wasn't sure she had another social interaction in her. But she thought of how Ragna would tease her if she was too late, and how worried Tsubaki and Makoto would be. She then straightened her back and looked ahead, defiantly. Although her gaze quickly lowered to the ground, she still squeaked out her question.

"Excuse me...uh...do you know where initiation is?" She asked quietly. The girl, apparently named Nora, looked at her.

"Huh?"

"We can walk you there, if you want," the boy offered.

"Oh, Ren you sly dog!" Nora said coyly. He sighed.

"Can't I interact with a girl without you getting some crazy idea in your head?"

"What crazy idea? Jeez, you need to calm down those raging hormones!" Nora scolded, as if she hadn't said anything at all. Ren sighed, but said nothing.

"W-W-Walk me?"

"Yeah. He knows where this place is, so just stick with him! Come on!" Nora tugged Noel away, and Ren hurried to get in front of them.

"Don't get her lost, Nora."

"You worry too much!"

* * *

Noel found herself on a green cliff overlooking a vast and beautiful forest. Trees stuck out everywhere, and leaves prevented her from seeing even the slightest hint of ground. She saw the other students on odd gray platforms. Nora and Ren waved before taking off.

"T-Thank you!" Noel called out, her face crimson with embarrassment. She was grateful for having Ren around. Nora's constant talking unnerved her, and he knew to take the brunt of her chatter. She found Ragna waving at her from close by, and she hurried to the empty platform next to him.

"Where the hell were you?" He asked.

"I got lost..."

"You're an idiot."

"No I'm not! I found Makoto's locker and some nice people helped me here! I can be smart!"

"First of all, you didn't find your own damn locker. Second of all, you had no idea where this place was."

"Neither did you," Noel said angrily. Ragna turned scarlet.

"H-Hey! I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. I was disoriented."

"I'm not falling for that again!"

"I could have gotten expelled!"

"You didn't seem to care when you punched that boy in the face," Noel said testily. She was normally very reserved, but Ragna had a talent for provoking her and getting her angry. He supposed it had to do with the fact that he constantly called her stupid.

"Shut up. Ozpin's making some sort of speech."

"You started it," Noel hissed. They listened patiently as Ozpin spoke, and then Glynda had something to say.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors of the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...today." Noel squeaked like a mouse in a trap.

"Please let me be with Ragna, Makoto, and Tsubaki, please please please..." She muttered. Ragna laughed at her. Ozpin spoke again, and one part in particular caught Noel's attention.

""That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."As Noel moaned in protest, she heard a girl four people over from her exclaim her distaste loudly. She was the red-haired girl who seemed to know Yang.

"Whaaaaat?!" Ragna sighed.

"Idiots," he murmured. Noel didn't hear him.

* * *

Things had been very, very different from how she expected them to be. People had been catapulted into the forest. Ragna told her not to break her neck, frightening her, and as she tried to explain to Ozpin that she didn't want to have any part of this, she found herself flying through the air. The red-haired girl soared past her, pulling out a large, red gun. Noel sighed and, after getting over her initial shock, began to calm down. Orange energy circles appeared in midair, and she pulled out two white guns from them. They were relatively simple, with no elegant design and a large barrel. However, as her hands touched them, she found herself calming even more. She closed her eyes and opened them. Whenever Noel had her guns, she turned into a different person. She gained confidence she never knew she had and became, as she liked to think, similar to the focused and unflappable Tsubaki. She fired her guns in the air, and spiked orange bursts shot from them, slowing her descent. She fell towards the ground, but as she was about to hit, fired her guns again, and flipped through the air. She twirled around tree trunks and under and over branches, using her guns to propel herself forward. She soon prepared to make her landing. She flipped over and fired in front of her, halting her progress. Her forward momentum faded, and she planted her feet into the ground, skidding and rolling. She got up and sighed, brushing the grass off of herself.

"Tsubaki! Makoto! Ragna!" She shouted, hoping to find one of her friends. It didn't take long before she did. However, it wasn't in the way she expected or wanted.

* * *

**AS PROMISED, LOTS OF NOEL! ACTUALLY, ONLY NOEL. HOW DID SHE FIND A FRIEND, WHICH FRIEND DID SHE FIND, AND HOW DID SHE FIND THEM? READ ON TO FIND OUT! ON A SIDE NOTE, I PRE-ORDERED THE RWBY DVD. BEST 20 DOLLARS I EVER SPENT! I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9! SERIOUSLY, THE RWBY CONTENT OF MY BLOOD IS UNHEALTHILY LOW!**


	3. The Gang's All Here

Noel Vermillion found herself being hit by a red blur. She felt a jarring pain in her side, and then felt the same pain in her other side as she was flung against a tree. The white-haired man got up and growled.

"That one caught me off-guard," he snarled. Noel groaned.

"Get up," he said.

"Ow..." She stood up. A pack of Ursa converged upon the two, and Noel glanced up at Ragna. He met her gaze and grinned.

"So we're partners."

"Yes! I didn't get some person I don't know!"

"Calm down there. We've got work to do."

"Right," Noel said. She held her guns in front of her, and Ragna twirled Blood Scythe fiercely. The Grimm charged, and the two warriors jumped into action. Noel flipped into the air and fired her guns at an Ursa's head. The force of the impact sent the bear falling on the ground, and Noel used the impact to send herself into the air and over the Ursa behind it. Ragna, meanwhile, used the one Noel had slain as a projectile. He kicked it at the Ursa she'd flipped over, and it fell. Ragna jumped into the air, and pure black Dust gathered around his blade and he descended like a falcon, piercing both the corpse and the Ursa he'd kicked it into. Ahead of him, Noel fell into a group of three Ursa. She flipped over one's clumsy strike and whirled around, firing her guns as she spun. The impact sent her back into another Ursa, but she simply turned and fired at it, sending herself back to her first enemy, still stunned from her initial shots. She twisted and planted her feet into the Grimm's face and kicked off. She went flying through the air and lunged towards the one she had blasted away from, who had fallen from the force of her shot. She swung her guns downwards and fired as she did, ripping a hole through the Ursa's chest. She rolled and turned, spinning out of the way of the other Ursa. She then fired her guns and shot towards it, jumping and shooting at it from above. She landed and fired again, swinging her guns one after the other with unnerving grace, bursting through the Ursa's flesh until there was nothing left. Ragna, meanwhile, found himself faced with two who he easily killed with two brutal arced slashes from his sword. The final one got its head punched off with an uppercut with a hand surrounded by pure black Dust energy, swirling around it like it was being pulled towards his fist. The two examined their work happily.

"That was a waste of time," Noel sighed.

"Damn right. What say we find that temple thing?"

"That's our mission, right? But...where is it?"

"Should we keep running straight ahead like a couple of idiots, or discuss this problem?" Noel grinned.

"You don't have the patience for that."

"And you don't have the smarts. Let's go." The blonde gunner frowned.

"I'm not dumb! You're dumb, you...you dummy dumb dumb! You're dumb!" Ragna laughed at her mockingly.

"Yeah, I'm the idiot here."

* * *

Makoto scanned the forest for signs that anyone was close by. Her fauna instincts gave her a clear advantage, and she had been able to avoid all the enemies she encountered so far. Well, she could if she wanted to. A beowolf lay dead against a broken tree. She patted her tonfas together, hearing a reassuring clank.

"Makoto one, beowolves nothing! Ha! Of course, now I don't know where I am...but wait! My squirrel-sense is tingling! I sense someone nearby! Right...here!" Makoto eagerly threw back a bush, hoping to find someone lying underneath. She found nothing.

"Eh...the old squirrel senses must be a bit...uh...on the fritz," she said, glad no one saw her failed attempts at finding a partner. She hurriedly walked away from the spot, her tail waving happily as she did so. This was her kind of environment. She could let the pent-up rage at the racists from the previous night flow into her fists and unleash havoc on the Grimm.

* * *

She scaled a tree, thinking it would provide her with a better vantage point. However, there were too many leaves and branches. She couldn't see past any of them. Makoto was getting restless.

"Okay..." She muttered, dropping down onto the cool grass. It had been ten minutes since she'd had a good fight, and she didn't seem to be getting any closer to the temple Ozpin had told them to find. She started to wish Tsubaki was nearby. She'd have some idea where the temple was.

"Speak of the devil, and the devil...blah blah blah. Tsubaki's probably already found the temple for all I know..." Makoto muttered. However, she hadn't. She had, however, found Makoto. The red-haired girl cleared her throat, and the fauna whirled around to see her friend. She threw herself at Tsubaki and gave her a big bear hug.

"Tsubaki! Yes, someone who knows what they're doing!" Tsubaki grinned awkwardly.

"Hey, you're not doing badly, she said to Makoto.

"Really?"

"Yes, I think you're on the right track. It makes sense for the temple to be straight ahead, and for once, your one-track mind helped you out. I don't think we're very far."

"Seriously? Then let's go!" Makoto led the two through the forest, making quite a bit of noise; she did so in hopes of attracting monsters. Tsubaki sighed. She'd done her best to avoid confrontation and save herself time, but she knew how impatient Makoto could be. She supposed combat would be inevitable, and tried to look on the bright side by thinking of how the real-life experience would benefit her. It was real-life experience she'd get very soon.

"So...how do you think Noel's doing?" Makoto asked after a while. Tsubaki knew the question was coming. This was the kind of situation their shy friend dreaded.

"Maybe she's found Ragna," she said hopefully. Makoto sighed.

"Silly Tsubaki. Things aren't going to be that easy for her. The world's always out to get people like her."

"I don't know. She and Ragna have a way of finding each other," Tsubaki said.

"But she's a small, adorable fish in a big sea full of larger, uglier fish. You know how this works. I've told you my Makoto theory of the universe, didn't I?"

"You told me that the more people try to avoid company, the more they get it. You also said that squirrels will one day become the most dominant species on Earth."

"And when they do, I'll be spared! You sure have taken the Makoto theory of the universe to heart."

"I try to keep track of all the crazy things my friends say so I can be prepared."

"And what about you? Don't you say crazy things sometimes?" Tsubaki didn't react.

"Not that I can remember."

"So you don't remember becoming a giggling schoolgirl whenever Jin was around? Because I do." Tsubaki turned red, and Makoto grinned triumphantly.

"T-That was a long time ago. I was a child."

"You're only seventeen now. Still one more year of being a kid," Makoto said reassuringly. The two laughed, glad to have found each other. Even Tsubaki, who had no problems working with strangers, was still more at ease with a friend. But that ease didn't last long. They found the temple, where various chess pieces lined multiple stone platforms. At the temple, they found a massive spider-like Grimm attacking Noel, Ragna, Yang, and a mysterious girl with jet black hair.

* * *

"Those two..." Tsubaki sighed. She looked next to her, only to find her energetic companion soaring through the air and planting a killer punch into the Grimm's head.

"Squirrel style: Fist of Justice!" Makoto knocked the Grimm to the side, and it flew into the forest just as a red-haired girl with a red sword ran through it. The spider-like Grimm landed on a Deathstalker, a scorpion-like Grimm with a bright tail to attract prey. Both monsters shrieked, and the girl hurried to the temple. Ragna had grabbed a random chess piece, a king, and motioned for Noel to run off when all hell broke loose. An Ursa fell from the sky, landing on the white-haired warrior. An orange-haired girl and a boy in green were riding it. Soon after, two blurry figures flew from the sky and slammed into each other, one figure red and the other a blur of blue and white. In the sky, a Nevermore, a bird-like Grimm, soared high above the battle, and a white figure was seen hanging on it for dear life. Tsubaki buried her head in her hands.

"Ridiculous..." She said. Ragna snarled.

"Goddammit! Get this fatass off me!" Noel shied away from the Ursa.

"It's...it's you..." She said, pointing at the girl in orange with a scared expression on her face. Makoto, meanwhile, was sharing fist-bumps with Yang.

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't know these people," Tsubaki moaned.

* * *

"Noel! Hey!" The orange-haired girl called out. She held a silver grenade-launcher in her hands. Noel looked petrified. Tsubaki slowly walked over to them, glancing at the figures who had fell from the sky. One was Yang's sister Ruby, as Tsubaki had found out during breakfast, and the other was the boy who had hit Ragna with his shield.

"Let me guess...you're the normal one of the group?" The girl with black hair asked as Tsubaki neared the temple.

"More or less. I'm Tsubaki Yayoi."

"Blake Belladonna." The two shook hands. Finally, someone who didn't have the mind of a derailing train. Behind the two, the orange-haired girl was singing.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle! I'm-" The boy in green bellowed at her.

"Nora!"

"Coming, Ren!" She giggled and titled her head, the rook she'd picked up falling off and landing in her hand.

"So that girl flew in on an Ursa, your sister fell from a Nevermore, and that Jaune Arc guy flew from nowhere and hit her. Wow," Blake said. Yang clenched her fists as Nora was getting uncomfortably close to Noel and Ren, who were feeling quite awkward. Makoto stepped in, but was no match for Nora. She dragged Makoto along with her, and they were soon all at her mercy. Ragna, meanwhile, was still trapped under the Ursa.

"Why does no one seem to care that this damn thing is crushing my back? Does anyone even see me? Are you assholes listening? This thing's breaking my spine, here!" He complained. The red-haired girl heard his cries and lifted the Grimm off of him with some help from Tsubaki.

"Thanks. Damn, my back...Beacon sure is a great place, huh?" He muttered sarcastically. Meanwhile, Ruby jumped off of the tree and ran towards Yang.

"Yang!"

"Ruby!" Out of nowhere, jumping in between them, Nora appeared.

"Nora!" She cried out happily. The two girls staggered back, and Noel breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you got Ragna after all, huh?" Makoto asked rhetorically.

"I got really lucky. He did make a me sandwich out of a tree and himself, but at least I found a familiar face..."

"At least you did. And now there are two more!"

"Yeah!" Noel said happily.

"Uh, guys?" Ruby said, catching their attention. she pointed to the sky.

"Is that...Weiss?" Noel asked timidly.

"She's gonna fall," Ragna stated.

"I did tell her to jump," Ruby replied.

"You're an idiot. Yeah, breaking your neck sounds like a great way to complete the mission." Yang glared at Ragna.

"Ruby turned out fine!"

"Yeah, but that was because Mr. Natural Blonde over there hit her into a freaking tree."

"Watch it. Insult my sister one more time and you and your stupid spiky hair get to feel firsthand what it's like to have your head shoved up your-" She was interrupted from her threat by Ruby.

"Uh, Yang? Weiss is falling."

"She should be fine, right?" Ren asked.

"She sure as hell looks fine," Ragna sighed sarcastically.

"Look! Jaune's going to catch her!" The red-haired girl pointed out. As the girl in white fell from the sky, Jaune Arc soared through the air after her and she landed in his arms. His moment of triumph was short-lived, as they then fell to the ground. Jaune fell face-first, and the girl landed on his back with such grace that it seemed as if she did it all the time. Behind them, the spider-like Grimm and the Deathstalker got up.

"Looks like the Deathstalker and the Weaver are recovering. Get out of there!" Blake shouted at the two warriors. The girl got up and pulled Jaune off of the ground. They hurried over to the temple.

"Great, now the gang's all here. We can all be brutally murdered together," Yang said unenthusiastically.

"My back..." Jaune muttered.

"A freaking Ursa landed on me. Quit your bitching," Ragna spat.

"Weiss is heavy," he moaned.

"What?" Weiss, the girl in white, exclaimed angrily.

"Eh...Weiss is light as a feather?" Jaune tried. She scoffed and turned to the enemies. The Weaver approached, and Noel, Ragna, Makoto, and Tsubaki began to run off.

"We'll distract whoever we can. Get your pieces and get out of here!" Tsubaki warned. Behind her, Makoto ran, carrying a bishop. Only the Weaver followed them. They looked as Ruby attacked the Deathstalker and they ran even harder.

"Do you know where we're going, Tsubaki?" Noel asked.

"I have absolutely no idea, but right now, anywhere is better than here!"

* * *

**MORE TIE-INS WITH ACTUAL EVENTS, WITH THE DIALOGUE CHANGED A BIT. I'M LIKING THE RELATIONSHIP NOEL AND NORA HAVE, NOEL BEING AFRAID OF HOW MUCH NORA TALKS. NEXT, TEAM NTRM GETS TO SHOWCASE THEIR TEAMWORK IN A HOPEFULLY SOMEWHAT EPIC, ALBIET NOT ANIMATED SCENE.**

**ALSO, THE ABSENCE OF A NEW RWBY EPISODE LEAVES AN EMPTY VOID IN MY LIFE. SERIOUSLY, THE SHOW'S LIKE A DRUG. I'VE NEVER ANTICIPATED A SHOW AS MUCH AS I HAVE RWBY!**


	4. Team NTRM

The Weaver chased after them, and the four friends were driven into a large clearing. Trees surrounded it in an almost perfect circle; jagged rocks stuck out from the middle of the field where the ground turned brown and hard, as opposed to the soft grass they'd been walking on. In the distance, a group of Grimm was approaching, coming from the other side. The four were cut off. The middle was their only option.

"Get to the middle!" Noel shouted. Ragna glared at her.

"So now you suddenly know what you're doing, huh?!" He snarled. She turned red but kept her head held high. With the confidence she gained from feeling the cold metal of the guns in her hands, she answered.

"I'm the fastest out of all of us; I'll distract the Weaver!" Tsubaki grinned at her words. Noel had a surprising inner strength, a resilience that allowed her to throw herself headlong into dangerous situations while remaining calm. It hadn't taken her long to realize why. Noel's loyalty to her friends had always been one of her strongest traits. The blonde girl ran at the spider with reckless calmness, her eyes betraying no fear. Meanwhile, Tsubaki lead everyone to the middle. The Grimm advanced, and Ragna was the first to meet them, gripping his sword so tightly that, if he was holding any ordinary blade, it would have shattered. Tsubaki knew that battle was where he could release his pent-up rage, the unquenchable anger that had overtaken him when he was merely a child. His sword cut through Grimm brutally and gracelessly. He swung in wide arcs, using his strength to ensure his sweeping attacks wouldn't throw him off-balance. To Tsuabki, fighting had always been a graceful dance. If that was so, Ragna was like the dancer who kept tripping over his feet. His fighting style was devoid of all grace and poise. He fought with pure anger. Elegance had no meaning to him.

"Gimme a hand! Or are you too busy being Noel's cheerleaders?!" Ragna snarled at the two girls. However, as he spoke, Tsubaki was already charging. Her shield, a strangely-shaped weapon with a large eye on it, was surrounded by a pure white energy sigil, and with it, she charged at the Grimm. On contact with the sigil, they were instantly dispatched. Behind them, Makoto flung herself into the air and landed on the ground with a crash that rocketed any nearby Grimm into the air. She jumped at them and kicked off, making her way to the top. She punched any that were in her path, and when she found the highest Grimm, she slammed it into the ground and into a Grimm under it.

"Hey, you were supposed to hit it back!" Makoto shouted jokingly at the Grimm she'd crushed, landing on the pile. She then proceeded to stand on top of the two dead beasts, punching anything that came even remotely close to her. Tsubaki shot in front of her, still using her shield. She drew her sword and twisted, shooting past a Grimm and slashing. It was cut in two. She jumped into the air and descended, propelled by angelic wings. She cut through another Grim and turned, her blade turning into a whip sword. She swung upwards and cut another monster in half. More jumped at her, and she flitted through a small opening they left, bringing her blade with her. It cut three of the Grimm who had attacked, leaving two more that she immediately dispatched with a shimmering energy ball.

"Makoto!" She shouted. The energy ball flew towards the fauna, who then coated her fist with blue energy, punching it back at Tsubaki. It flew under her as she jumped up into the air and landed behind Makoto, felling a Grimm who was about to attack. The energy ball destroyed a group of Grimm who were behind Tsubaki.

"That was sexy!" Makoto said happily, flipping off of her Grimm pile, which had grown considerably. She then preformed a jarring uppercut on an attacking Grim, who was hit into another. They both fell, and Makoto grabbed them and hurled them to both sides. One flew towards Ragna, who was getting swarmed, and he kicked it into the group attacking him. They were staggered, and he had time to work on the enemies behind him.

"Thanks," he said gruffly, punching his way through a group of Grimm with a single fist draped in darkness.

* * *

Noel looked back at her friends as they ran towards the middle.

"Summoning Freya!" She shouted, and her two guns vanished in an orange light. In their place, a shotgun materialized, and she grabbed it with both hands. The Weaver swung a skinny, spiky leg at her, and she slid under it on her back, firing at the Weaver's underbelly as she did so. It howled and she twisted, flying from the ground and flipping into the air. She fired her shotgun and it propelled her towards one of the Grimm's legs. She grabbed it and twirled as if she was on a pole, and then used her momentum to swing up. She fired her gun and it shot her back towards the Weaver, who had turned to face her. She was now behind it again. Noel landed, and immediately shot at its legs. She twirled her gun around, shooting and twisting to face another leg. She spun it in her hands and sidestepped to dodge attacking limbs. She treated the weapon like a baton, and did all kinds of elegant spins and twirls with the gun, always in tandem with her own motions. She then threw the gun and it vanished in orange light.

"Summoning Bolverk!" The two pistols appeared in her hands again, and she went to another fighting style. She twisted and swerved, using the recoil of her weapons to slide herself across the ground. She sometimes fired straight shots without swinging her arm, but they always made her flip backwards with the recoil. Her attacks were preformed in sweeping motions; she always swung her guns as she fired to give herself more momentum to shoot herself to the other legs. She alternated her position from keeping her legs close together and her guns near her body from spreading her legs and spreading her arms, pushing her weapons away from her. The Weaver stood no chance. It couldn't have seen her even if she wasn't underneath it. Every one of its movements attempting to get away from her always failed; Noel was too fast.

* * *

As she fought, her feelings faded. Her determination slipped away and her fear evaporated. The cold metal seemed to spread through her hands to her heart, steeling her to any emotion that might distract her, such was the effect of her Nox Nyctores, Bolverk. They negated her emotions. Noel was always an emotional person. She was easy to provoke, easy to make cry, easy to embarrass, easy to scare, easy to excite; she couldn't control herself. Bolverk changed that. In battle, she was already very calm, even without her Nox Nyctores. Fighting was the one place she could forget her insecurities, of which she had very, very many, and allow herself to relax. With the effects on Bolverk on top of that, one might assume she was born to fight.

* * *

As she fired, Noel noticed the Weaver buckling. Its legs were crumbling. She looked towards her friends and shouted.

"It's weakening!" Tsubaki immediately knew what to do.

"Noel, come back and help me! Ragna and Makoto, finish off the Weaver!" Ragna glared at her but listened; Tsubaki was very smart, and she was one of the few people he respected. As for Makoto, she was only too eager to take on the big fish.

"Good job, Noellie!" She complimented. Noel was running towards her, and smiled happily upon hearing her words.

"Really?!"

"Noel, behind you!" Tsubaki shouted. The Weaver had opened its mouth and was firing out black spikes. They stretched from its mouth as if they were being pulled, and they flew at the three friends. Tsubaki turned to face her foes, knowing her companions would be fine. Noel turned and fired, orange bursts of energy hitting the spikes and doing nothing. She then fired again, but not to damage the Grimm. The force of the shot turned her around and she flew through midair, ducking her legs as a spike went under them. She fired at some of the Grimm Tsubaki was engaging before landing on the spike, and with incredible balance, proceeded to run along the think, jagged line. Meanwhile, Ragna and Makoto passed her, dealing with the spikes their own way. Ragna was strong enough to knock them out of his way and did so gladly. Swinging his sword and striking the spikes aside, he jumped over any he didn't get with his sword, and ran forward with increased speed as more of the spikes attacked him. He flipped over one and landed on it, jumping from the spike into the air immediately as his feet touched to cold material the spikes were made out of. He landed on top of the spike storm, running on it.

* * *

Makoto was dodging instead of punching, although she was certainly strong enough to knock the spikes aside. She brought her fists close to her face and swerved out of the way of the spikes, making her way through them and rapidly catching up to Ragna. Any spikes that got too close, she deflected aside with her tonfas, using both arms to push them away. She grinned arrogantly, knowing the Weaver stood no chance. She knocked aside spike after spike as they became more frequent and fast, leaving her little time to dodge. She then flipped up, landing on top of the spike storm with Ragna.

"I'll get under it! Take out the legs!" Makoto shouted. Ragna scowled.

"How come everyone gets to push me around like a damn dog?!"

"Because you don't have any good ideas!"

"Hey, I've got plenty of good ideas, specifically the ones about you not talking!"

"Ooh, burn!"

"That only works if you're not the one being insulted!"

"Who cares? Just do what I say!"

"Fine, but I'm not taking any more shit from you!" Ragna jumped off of the spike storm as the spikes were retracted into the Weaver's mouth like they were being sucked into a vacuum. He then ran his sword across one set of the Weaver's legs, his blade bursting with pure dark energy. They were cut in half as Makoto scurried underneath the Weaver. Ragna then ran around and cut off the other set of legs, and the Grimm fell. Makoto lifted it, grunting under the weight. She shouted dramatically as she threw the Grimm up. It landed on its stomach. She and Ragna then jumped into the air and descended upon the beast, making a gaping hole through its underbelly. Ragna jumped out of the hole and landed next to Makoto, who had already done so.

"High five, partner!" She exclaimed. He sighed and smacked her hand with his, smiling.

"Not bad," he said.

"You weren't too shabby yourself," was her reply.

* * *

Tsubaki and Noel ran towards what little of the Grimm remained. They fought in tandem, Noel guarding Tsubaki's back as she guarded Noel's. She slashed through Grimm, having turned her sword into a massive claymore-like weapon. Noel fired shot after shot, stepping back as Tsubaki moved forward. The two girls pivoted as the Grimm changed directions, and continued to attack. Then, Tsubaki jumped up and Noel ran under her, firing at the Grimm as Tsubaki fell upon them, angelic wings outstretched, already ripping the monsters apart. Soon, they had no more enemies left.

"We did it!" Noel said with relief, hugging her friend. Tsubaki returned the embrace and smiled.

"You were wonderful."

"Seriously?" Noel asked.

"Of course. You really are something else, Noel." The blonde girl blushed.

"W-Well I'm not as good as you! You're so cool, Tsubaki!" The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"Noel, what have I told you about deflecting praise?"

"...Don't do it. But I'm not-"

"You are strong. You know this and so does everyone else."

"I'm sorry!"

"And don't apologize either! Noel, do you listen to anything I say?"

"I-I just-"

"What?"

"I'm just...you're all a lot stronger than I am, and-"

"I'm getting tired of interrupting you, Noel. You're setting yourself back. Remember, you have to be confident and assertive."

"...Right," Noel sighed. Ragna and Makoto ran towards them, smiling with satisfaction.

"We did it! Now to get back to Beacon!" Makoto shouted cheerily. Ragna scowled.

"Well, hurry the hell up! I gotta take a damn shit!"

"Ragna!" Tsubaki admonished.

"Oh, shut up, Ms. Prim and Proper. My bowels don't lie, and right now, they're trying to tell me that I shouldn't have had five whole stacks of pancakes for breakfast!"

"You had five?! Nora only had three!" Noel exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"I was hungry, okay?! Now let's hurry and get to Beacon already, goddammit!"

* * *

"Noel Vermillion, Tsubaki Yayoi, Ragna Mutsuki, and Makoto Nanaya. The four of you retrieved the white king pieces. From this day forward, you will be working together as team Nasturtium, led by...Noel Vermillion!" Ozpin announced. Noel was given a big bear hug by Makoto, an affectionate pat on the back from Tsubaki, and a disbelieving stare from Ragna.

"I am so screwed," he muttered.

* * *

A man in a black jacket complete with a fedora of the same color prowled the halls of the giant mansion. Behind him, a masked man sat complacently. The door in front of the two men opened and a man with orange hair stalked in.

"Looks like they're at Beacon. Cushy place. I hear they have coffee machines in each dorm room. Blake's there, too." The last bit was directed at the man with the mask, who stiffened as the name Blake left the orange-haired man's lips.

"You've gotta be shitting me. Are you sure they don't know about our plans and are trying to help us out or something? That's way too perfect."

"It's true. Seems like Beacon is the place to be.

"You don't say, Torchwick. You really don't say. How about you point out some more blatantly obvious shit to us, huh?"

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings," the man with orange hair said mockingly.

"Well, time to gloat. No sense in victory without being able to rub it in someone's face, right? I think it's time I pay the shitty vampire a visit," the man in the fedora said.

"I'll join you, Hazama," the masked man said.

"The more the merrier, right?"

"I'm just bored out of my mind. Besides, I do like pissing people off. Just make sure not to take all the good quips for yourself."

"Whatever you say, Adam. Just try to keep up. Oh, this is gonna be fun!"

* * *

**AND DONE! BADASSERY, CHECK. INTRODUCING VILLAINS AND HINTING AT THEIR EVIL PLAN, CHECK. FORMING TEAM NTRM (NasTuRtiuM FOR THOSE WHO DON'T GET WHY I CHOSE THE NAME) AND ESTABLISHING MY FAVORITE CHARACTER AS TEAM LEADER, CHECK. I REALLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER. HOPEFULLY, YOU ALL WILL TOO. I'D LIKE ANY FEEDBACK YOU HAVE, PARTICULARLY ON RAGNA. I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU FIND HIM TOO MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE, TOO CLICHE, ETC. I'M MAKING HIM ANGRIER THAN HE WAS IN THE GAMES BECAUSE, AS I EXPLAINED, OF HIS BACKSTORY, WHICH I AM MAKING. ALSO, JUST FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, NASTURTIUM IS A GENUS OF WATERCRESSES. ALSO ALSO, I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF NAMING NOEL'S SHOTGUN FROM CHRONO PHANTASMA AFTER THE NORSE GODDESS FREYA.**

**I WAS LISTENING TO RED LIKE ROSES PART 2 WHILE WRITING THIS, MAKING EVERYTHING CONSIDERABLY MORE EPIC. I'D SUGGEST LISTENING TO ANY RWBY SONG WHILE WRITING FANFICTION, EVEN IF THE FANFICTION ISN'T ABOUT RWBY. THE SOUNDTRACK IS JUST THAT AWESOME. EXPECT TO READ MORE FROM TSUBAKI'S POINT OF VIEW IN THE NEXT CHAPTER (I FEEL AS IF I'VE BEEN NEGLECTING HER), AND ALSO EXPECT A LOT OF RUBY AND A CAMEO FROM HER PROFESSOR POOP DRAWING. RUBY IS AWESOME, DEFINITELY THE KIND OF PERSON I'D WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH.**


	5. Tsubaki Yayoi, Surrounded By Fools

Tsubaki was the first to wake up. She looked at Makoto and Noel, who lay asleep next to her. That had been the arrangement. Ragna, luckily for him, got a bed all to himself, as, well, it was obvious why he didn't share a bed with one of the girls. Tsubaki, Noel, and Makoto ended up sharing a bed. It was awkward. Noel kept draping her arm around Tsubaki, trying to play with Makoto's tail, which kept wrapping around the redhead, in her sleep. Tsubaki was pressed in by the two girls, and woke up drenched in sweat. A shower was in order. She gingerly stepped over Makoto, making her way to the bathroom, when she noticed that Ragna was already up. He stared out of the window.

"Good morning, Ragna." He looked at her.

"How'd you like getting suffocated by the wonder twins over there?"

"It wasn't pleasant."

"Figures. As you can see, I've already taken my shower. Hop on in. You want me to wake up Noel and Makoto?"

"Let them sleep a little longer. We've got time."

"Sounds good. Damn, I still can't believe Noel's team leader. You were the obvious choice," Ragna said, hiding his admiration for the redhead poorly.

"It's easy to understand why she was chosen. You just have to pay attention." Ragna looked at her quizzically.

"Huh?"

"I already have leadership skills, as do Makoto and yourself. The only one out of us four who lacks the necessary skills to lead is Noel. That's why Ozpin picked her. By forcing her into a position of leadership, he forces her to hone her skills. Beacon is a school, remember. Future Hunters and Huntresses are trained here, and being team leader is just another part of her training. And yours as well. You should learn to follow orders."

"And you should learn not to," Ragna said. Tsubaki looked at him strangely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Listening to people is all nice and good, but you gotta know when you've stopped taking other people's advice and when you've started adopting their beliefs. Make your own decisions. You're smart enough to do that, you're just not...rebellious enough."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tsubaki said, her voice as unreadable as her expression. She stalked to the shower, and Ragna kept staring out of the window. He had woken up depressed, having thought about something he had tried to keep distant from his mind. He thought about the man with green hair. The man who called himself Yuuki Terumi. The man who had destroyed everything and everyone Ragna had loved.

* * *

Tsubaki, dressed in her school clothes, shook awake Noel and Makoto. The two blinked and stared at their friend.

"Tsubaki?" Noel murmured.

"Hey," Makoto muttered.

"Time to shower and get ready for classes." Tsubaki's words elicited a frightened squeak from Noel and a heavy sigh from Makoto.

"Tell them I'm sick," she said.

"Makoto!"

"Fine, then let me sleep for five more minut...minu..."

"Wake up!" Tsubaki shouted. Makoto shrieked and jumped up.

"Ow! Tsubaki, what was that?!"

"You need to get ready."

"What about Noel?"

"I'll deal with her. Just get in the shower!" Makoto trudged off, and Noel's hand sadly brushed against her tail as she left.

"Tsubaki...how was it?" She asked.

"How was what?"

"S-Sharing a...a...bed?"

"It was fine."

"Was it uncomfortable? Was I squishing you? Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" Noel asked, sounding scared. Tsubaki sighed.

"I said it was fine," she lied.

"But I just...it's weird, is all."

"Noel, we're friends, nothing more. Would you rather sleep with Ragna?" The blonde girl's eyes widened in fright at her friend's words.

"N-No!"

"Then you can either stay with Makoto and I or take the floor." Noel looked at the floor, not bothering to hide her discomfort at the idea of sleeping there.

"I'm...fine."

"Jeez Noel, you need to lighten up. Stop blaming yourself for everything."

"Okay..."

* * *

The four friends were dressed and ready to get to classes. Breakfast was short and pathetic. Ragna felt his stomach growling for more food.

"What are you, a bottomless pit?" Makoto scolded.

"Says the girl who ate ten stacks of waffles before initiation," he spat.

"I was hungry! Besides, you ate a lot, too!"

"That's rich, coming from you."

"A big, growing girl's gotta get in her nutrients and whatever! Right, Noel?" Makoto draped an arm around her friend, who squirmed. The word 'big' had made her uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?" Makoto asked her. Noel shook her head and freed herself from her friend's grasp.

"Nothing!"

"So, what's our first class?" Tsubaki asked, coming to Noel's rescue. Makoto either didn't care about Noel's inferiority complex concerning her chest, or didn't even know. It was most likely the latter. The fauna was a tease, but knew when to let certain things go. At least, most of the time. Ragna, to his credit, remained completely deadpan during his friends' antics.

"If we're done comparing cup sizes, can we get outta here?" He sighed. Noel turned red, but Makoto was completely unashamed.

"Good thinking! As team leader, you should lead us to class, Noellie!"

"O-Okay...to class..."

"Louder!"

"To class!" Noel shouted hurriedly. And so, off to class they went.

* * *

The room was rather boring. There were stairs with blue lights that led down to where the professor stood tall, his gut sticking out proudly. There were no desks; instead, there were large bench-like seats made of polished brown wood. They were like massive stairs, starting at the top and then proceeding to the bottom, where Tsubaki could make out the figure of Ruby Rose fooling around with her pencil, sticking it up her nose. Yang chuckled and Blake was absorbed in her book, while Weiss looked ready to punch Ruby in the face. In front of them, there was a large board with many diagrams of a variety of Grimm. Among them, there was a Deathstalker, Beowolf, Nevermore, and a Weaver, the Grimm team NTRM had dispatched during initiation. In front of the diagrams was a brown desk, and in front of the desk was the professor. He was preparing something, having finished trying to look cool. He pulled in a large cage with two red eyes shining in the darkness that filled the metal prison. Tsubaki also noted there was a weapon that appeared to be a cross between an axe and a blunderbuss being displayed proudly above the Grimm diagrams.

* * *

"Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night, the damned, the hellions, the black beasts!" The professor shouted. By the time the speech had started, Ruby Rose had already fallen asleep.

"Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as...prey! Ha-ha!" He exclaimed. No one said anything in response to his joke. It was at this point that Ruby woke up. Tsubaki looked at Noel, who was having a similar experience. She was resting her face in her hands, smiling deliriously. She was clearly having a good dream. Tsubaki woke the girl up, and she was about to profusely apologize when Tsubaki covered her mouth and pointed at the professor. Noel then tried to focus.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely _teeming_ with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen, Huntresses..." He trailed off, winking at Yang Xiao Long, who merely groaned in response.

"...Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves!" From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He shouted. This part managed to capture Ruby's attention. She was looking excited, but was then distracted by a student in the upper rows.

"Ayyy-yep!" He exclaimed. Everyone looked at him and he sat down awkwardly.

"The professor knows that Yang's seventeen, right?" Ragna whispered to Makoto.

"Who knows? He seems pretty oblivious," she replied.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: a story. A tale of a young, handsome man...me! When I was a boy..." Tsubaki, to her credit continued to listen, but she, along with Weiss Schnee, were most likely the only ones. However, Tsubaki did notice Ruby Rose hurriedly writing something down. Out of habit, she looked at her friends. Ragna's feet were propped up on his seat, and his eyes were closed. Makoto was chatting with the student behind her, and Noel was writing on some paper. It was poetry, no doubt, considering how she formed her books to create a protective shield around her work. Despite her love of poetry, she never showed her work to anyone. Considering her expression, she was quite into what she was writing.

"...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter,' he told me..." Tsubaki continued to listen when she noticed that Makoto was snickering. She saw Yang and Blake laughing as well, and looked towards Ruby out of instinct. She was holding a piece of paper with a crude drawing of the professor. Underneath it was the label 'Professor Poop.' Tsubaki groaned, looking just as annoyed as Weiss, feeling sorry for the heiress, having to sit next to Ruby Rose of all people. She knew she should mind her own business, but she was annoyed by how lightheartedly Ruby was taking the classes, as they would teach her to be a better Huntress. Tsubaki felt as if her childhood dream was being mocked.

"Ahem!" The professor made an annoyed noise to get Ruby's attention. When he had it, he continued on with his story. Ragna made a gun with his fingers and pretended to shoot himself in the head.

"Kill me, please," he sighed. Makoto chuckled, and Tsubaki snarled at the white-haired young man. He waved her off, and she furiously whirled towards the professor. When his lengthy story was finished in which Tsubaki had learned nothing other than the fact that he had quite the ego, he proceeded to tell them the moral, which she was sure he was making up. The story wasn't one that had a moral.

"The moral of the story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!" At this point, Ruby balanced an apple and book on top of a pencil she had poised on top of one finger. She made a silly face. Three spaces over from Tsubaki, Ragna was flossing his teeth. How he had forgot to do so after breakfast, she had no idea. Her scowl deepened.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!" Ruby was now asleep again. Makoto was pretending to box an imaginary enemy, making small karate noises as she did so. Tsubaki bit her lip so hard that she drew blood.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!" Then, with incredible audacity, Ruby began to pick her nose, not even bothering to hide it. Weiss was livid with rage, as was Tsubaki, who looked over at Noel. The blonde girl's books had fallen and she was now hiding under her seat, continuing to write her poetry.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" The professor asked. Weiss raised her hand.

"I do, sir!" Ragna was about to laugh, but managed to turn it into a cough. Weiss shot him a dirty look and then turned back to the professor.

"Well then, let's find out! Step forward and face your opponent!" The professor opened the cage.

* * *

"Professor Jubei, Ragna is scheduled to meet you after his Grimm Studies class," Glynda Goodwitch said to the hooded man. His hood had animals ears and was attached to an orange cloak-like sweatshirt. Attached to the back of it was a large katana. The man's hands were hid by the sweatshirt, but it was clear his hands weren't those of a human. They were large and paw-shaped, and it was likely that his ear attachments on his sweatshirt were for more than decoration. There were two tails sticking out from his rear, and his legs were that of a cat. His right eye was covered by an eyepatch.

"That kid? I hear he's a piece of work. Didn't he start a fight his first day here?"

"That he did. If it wasn't for Professor Ozpin's interest in his Azure Grimoire, he'd have been expelled."

"So he's got moxie. I guess breaking him in's gonna be tough."

"That's merely putting it lightly. Don't hesitate to call me in if he gets unmanageable."

"Thanks, Glynda. But I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse than that kid."

* * *

**THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE LARGELY RANGA-CENTRIC, DEALING WITH HIS SPECIAL CLASSES WITH JUBEI. OF COURSE, YOU'LL ALSO GET TO SEE WHAT SHENANIGANS NOEL, MAKOTO, AND TSUBAKI ARE UP TO IN THEIR CLASSES, AS WELL. MOSTLY MAKOTO, THOUGHT. I DON'T WANT TO NEGLECT HER, AND IT SEEMS THAT SHE'S GOT THE LEAST SPOTLIGHT OUT OF THE MEMBERS OF TEAM NTRM.**


	6. Rose Red

Ragna was very thankful to have his special class with professor Jubei. Things had gotten pretty crazy when the professor of the Grimm Studies class, Peter Port, had Weiss fight a Boarbatusk. Well, actually, things were normal until Ruby saw that Weiss was fighting the Grimm. Since she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention, Ruby thought the heiress was in danger and jumped in, Crescent Rose blazing. The two got into a fight, and both girls were sent to Glynda Goodwitch, who Ragna assumed shouted them into submission. Now, walking down a lonely white hall, he approached professor Jubei's room. Opening the door, he found a plain, large training area made of metal. In the middle of the room stood a hooded fauna.

"Huh. I guess I know why you're a secret professor."

"Yep. Not many take kindly to a fauna teaching human students."

"So, Jubei, how are we gonna start this training? You gonna lecture me about power and responsibility and all that bullshit, or can I just go activate the Azure on the spot?" Jubei laughed.

"Neither, kid. First, I want you to tell me what you feel when you unleash the power of the Azure." Ragna blinked.

"What are you, a psychologist?!"

"Controlling your feelings could be the first step to controlling the Azure, neither of which you're very good at," Jubei said. Ragna scowled.

"Watch it."

"Ah, right. Sorry." Ragna sighed before speaking.

"I feel...power. Power that I didn't know existed, confidence I didn't know I had. I feel invincible."

"What else?"

"Bloodlust. You think I'm pissed off now, wait'll you see me with the Azure."

"And?"

"...Fear."

"Fear of what?"

"Fear of losing myself to the Azure. I know it tries to consume me with every time I use the damn thing. I remember the feeling way too well." Jubei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd watched Ragna fight in the Emerald Forest, and he knew that the white-haired young man fought without fear of anything. No fear of death, no fear of pain, no fear of losing his friends. Anything that could scare a young man so unhealthily fearless was not a power to be taken lightly.

"Right...I think that what you need is a mantra." Ragna laughed. His harsh chuckles filled the metal room.

"A mantra?! You want me to join a cult or something?! Hey, while I'm at it, should I cut off my thumb as a symbol of allegiance to Beacon? Or maybe you want me to get my ass spanked and then say 'yes sir may I have another?!' What the hell is this?!" Jubei chuckled.

"Kid, I know you're pissed, and I know you're impatient. You want an immediate solution, and you want it to be something big. But just focusing your attention on a chant while activating the Azure could get you in touch with yourself so that you won't be consumed by its power. It's like singing in the shower or something."

"That's nothing like singing in the shower!"

"Eh, well that's the best I could think of. Anyway, while I work on the mantra, how about we spar?"

"Wait...you get to work on my damn chant?"

"You're a student, you're busy. Besides, do you really want to think of a chant?" Ragna sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. So, about this sparring thing. You want this to be a casual match?"

"Hell no. Give me everything you've got. Just don't activate the Azure, kid."

"I don't need the Azure."

* * *

Noel, Makoto, and Tsubaki were walking to their next class.

"I wonder what Ragna's doing," Noel said timidly.

"He's fine, Noel. We're all in good hands at Beacon."

"But...he's had a rough time here so far. First there were those students harassing Makoto and then..."

"He's always stood up for us, Noel. That's just how he is." Makoto cut in.

"We can fight our own battles," Tsubaki said.

"But it's a nice thought," the fauna replied.

"...It is. I just don't want him to get into trouble. He needs Beacon more than anyone, and I don't want him to lose this opportunity to control the Azure. You understand, don't you, Noel?" Tsubaki asked the blonde girl. She nodded nervously. The three continued to walk, ceasing any talk of their friend. They had classes to get to, and even Nora Valkyrie wouldn't get in their way. Well, at least, that's what they thought.

"Hey, Noellie!" She called out, scurrying over to the blonde girl. Makoto narrowed her eyes at the friendly nickname.

"Wait a minute...did you just call Noel what I think you called her?" She asked.

"Noellie?"

"That's our special thing!" Makoto protested, putting an arm around her friend. Tsubaki sighed.

"Let's just stop-"

"No! We can't stop until I've made it clear that only I can call Noel that! It's a sign of our super special friendship! After all, we are super special best friends," Makoto said. Noel nodded nervously.

"Why can't I be Noel's super special best friend?"

"And why do you want to?"

"Because she's cool, duh!"

"We have to go to class-"

"This doesn't concern you, Tsubaki!" Makoto asked. Noel tried to maneuver out of her friend's iron grip, but it was no use. Tsubaki, in spite of herself, frowned.

"Are you saying that I'm not Noel's...super special...best friend?" She asked.

"You're her super special friend. Just not her super special best friend."

"Excuse me? I've known Noel longer than you have-"

"Why can't we all be Noellie's super special best friends?" Nora asked, interrupting the redhead.

"Noellie can only have one super special best friend," Makoto asserted.

"Nora's right...you're all my-"

"Noellie! You can't just let people be your super special best friend on a whim! If one or two people get to be your super special best friend, everyone will want to!"

"...No they won't..."

"Of course they will!"

"Well, excuse me for trying to make a friend!" Nora huffed.

"Can't she be-" Noel tried to say. Makoto covered her mouth.

"No way!"

"I wonder where Ren is?" Nora asked herself, sprinting off into the crowd of students. Tsubaki sighed.

"That girl has the most unfocused mind I've ever known a human being to have. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was part goldfish," the redhead moaned.

"We have to get to class!" Makoto realized. Tsubaki sighed.

"That's what I was trying to say, Makoto."

"Sure you were. You were too busy not being Noellie's super special best friend."

"I'm...Noellie's...super special best friend," Tsubaki muttered, not comfortable with using Noel's pet name. As they talked, the two girls noticed their friend had escaped.

"Eh? Where did she run off to?!"

"Class, obviously," Tsubaki huffed.

"This is your fault."

"No Makoto, this is your fault."

"How about we split the difference: it's Nora's fault." Tsubaki smiled at her friend.

"Done."

* * *

Ragna swung his blade with immense strength, trying to hit Jubei. However, the fauna was far too fast. Ragna could hardly keep track of his movements. The professor didn't even have to draw the katana on his back.

"How the hell is this sparring, huh?!"

"Just try to keep up, kid," Jubei taunted.

"You're really enjoying this, huh?!"

"Watching you flail that sword of yours around is pretty damn fun to watch."

"How about getting a close-up view?!"

"Nice one-liner, but no. Also, you're getting slower."

"Shut up!" Ragna roared, his lungs burning as he tried to swing his blade faster without bothering to decrease its strength.

"I guess you really have managed to get this far on brute strength alone. That's impressive in its own way, I guess."

"How about you shut your damn mouth?!"

"You're gonna need to learn how to get control of your own damn sword if you wanna get control over the Azure Grimoire."

"Go to hell!" Ragna fired a punch at Jubei, his fist enveloped in darkness. However, the fauna caught his punch with one hand and the darkness dispersed into the air. He lazily flicked his wrist, and Ragna flew into the wall. Jubei didn't even look like he even noticed the white-haired student. He was just that strong.

"Goddamn, that hurt like a damn truck!"

"Only a truck? I could do a train, once."

"You've gotta be kidding!"

"I'm not, kid."

"Well, shit. Guess I need to amp this up a bit," Ragna snarled. His sword unfolded and a red energy blade curved from the top of the now pole-like Blood Scythe. He wielded a long, intimidating scythe in a matter of seconds.

"I guess you can tell where the name Blood Scythe came from," he growled. Jubei laughed.

"Now that's more like it, kid!" Ragna twirled his scythe and slashed at Jubei as he lunged forward. He cut in a wide arc, and the fauna jumped over it. Ragna then swung his blade into the air, and Jubei turned and the scythe narrowly missed him. He landed and Ragna propelled himself at Jubei and slashed. The fauna dodged, and Ragna cut again, his blade ripping across the air. He swung in arcs, always shifting where his hands lay on the scythe. He also alternating his footing, stepping towards Jubei with every attack. Then, he swung the blade behind his teacher and pulled it back, swinging it with one hand. Jubei flipped over it and Ragna jumped into the air, attacking his opponent. He swung his scythe up as he jumped, curving his arm across his chest. Jubei was too high and the blow missed, but Ragna brought his blade down again as he kept flying higher into the air, and it crashed into the ground, leaving a hole in the metal but missing its intended target. In a final, desperate attempt, Ragna hurled Blood Scythe at Jubei, who kicked it aside and rushed in to deliver a jarring punch to Ragna's stomach. The white-haired young man then knew no more.

* * *

The girl in gothic dress sipped her tea in serenity, the rose garden that lay before her blooming in full splendor. The dark mansion that loomed behind her dainty figure cast a large shadow over the garden, but it didn't matter. Rachel Alucard could still admire the sight. At least, she could for a few more seconds.

"Hello there shitty vampire! How's tricks?" The girl frowned.

"Terumi. And I see you let the beast off his leash."

"Clever," Adam said coyly.

"What brings filth such as yourselves to my garden?"

"Well...you know that Ragna guy you have a thing for? The one that gets your panties in a bunch? Yeah, that idiot and none other than Noel Vermillion are now students at...can you guess?" Hazama asked spitefully. Rachel frowned slightly at the mention of Ragna, and her frown only deepened when the name Noel was brought up.

"I'll give you a hint: it starts with a B," Adam added on. Rachel Alucard gripped her teacup with surprising strength for someone her size.

"Congratulations. So are you here to gloat? You do realize who teaches at Beacon, don't you?"

"Eh, Jubei's an old fart, just like your pet butler lurking in the shadows behind me. I let the beast off his leash for a reason, and that wasn't so he could see your shitty face. And Ozpin and Goodwitch shouldn't be a problem either."

"You think this mongrel can kill Jubei of the Six Heroes?"

"You two do realize I'm still here, right? I haven't gone on a bathroom break or anything. I'm not sniffing the roses over there. I'm standing right next to you," Adam said, slightly annoyed.

"Like I give a damn. Hey, Valks, you can show your ugly-ass face now. Or are you finally taking my advice and staying out of sight like a good little doggy?"

"Silence, scum! Vulgar men such as yourselves do not deserve to be in Madame Rachel's presence." A man in a butler suit with a long ponytail flowing behind him stepped out from behind the two black-coated men.

"You know, you've got a point. I don't think anyone should have to endure talking to this brat," Adam indicated Rachel.

"You know not of whom you speak, beast," the butler snarled.

"Valkenhayn. Don't let these fools anger you," Rachel said calmly.

"You really aren't taking the bait, huh? I can't say the same for wolfie over there," Hazama said, jabbing his thumb at Valkenhayn. The butler turned his hand into a wolf's claw and attacked Hazama, but Adam's red blade blocked his claws.

"Make another move and you'll be choking on your own blood, old man," the masked man snarled, grinning slightly. Valkenhayn stepped back.

"So the corruption has begun. You were never the kindest person, but even you knew not to trust the likes of Yuuki Terumi," he said.

"So Blake Belladonna really was the only thing holding back the Yukianesa process. I suppose now that she's gone, it's taking over. Tell me, what does it feel like to be abandoned by your only friend?" Rachel said.

"Shut up, you miserable little bitch!" Adam prepared to cut down the girl, but Hazama put a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't wanna tangle with the vampire," he warned.

"I killed Trinity, I don't think this piece of shit should pose too much of a problem."

"Uh, you really don't want to fight her."

"Don't interfere, snake!"

"And we're leaving. But before that, I've got a present for you, shitty vampire. Here's a pooper scooper for your pet werewolf. Who knows how many times he shit in your roses?" And with that, Hazama and Adam vanished in a black portal with purple edges. Valkenhayn snarled, and with a flick of Rachel's wrist, a bolt of lighting obliterated the scooper that Hazama had left behind.

"I require more tea, Valkenhayn."

"Certainly, my lady," he said, calming down.

* * *

**A LOT OF FORESHADOWING HERE. WHAT'S THE YUKIANESA EFFECT? DID ADAM ACTUALLY KILLY TRINITY GLASSFIELD OF THE SIX HEROES? AND HOW IS NOEL GOING TO DEAL WITH THREE GIRLS FIGHTING FOR HER AFFECTION? READ ON TO FIND OUT! ALSO, I DECIDED TO PUT MY OWN SPIN ON HOW THE WHOLE BOARBATUSK THING WITH WEISS WENT DOWN. I THINK IT'S PRETTY INTERESTING. AND HAZAMA'S AS TROLL-Y AS EVER, OF COURSE. AND I ALSO REALLY ENJOYED WRITING FOR RAGNA'S TRAINING SESSION WITH JUBEI. I AIM FOR THE TWO TO DEVELOP THE MASTER/STUDENT RELATIONSHIP THEY HAVE IN THE GAMES. NEXT CHAPTER: THE INTRODUCTION OF KOKONOE AND TAGER, THE AFTERMATH OF RAGNA WAKING UP, AND NOEL, MAKOTO, AND TSUBAKI GO TO HISTORY CLASS, WHERE THE BACKSTORY OF MY BLAZBLUE/RWBY CROSSOVER UNIVERSE IS EXPLAINED. HOW DO ARMAGUS AND DUST RELATE TO EACH OTHER? HOW DOES THE NOL COME INTO PLAY? AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE GRIMM AND HOW DO THEY RELATE TO THE BLACK BEAST? ALL OF THAT AND A BIT MORE WILL BE COVERED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**


	7. Make History

A fauna with pink hair and two cat-like tails sat at her desk. The papers in front of her were crinkled and the lollipop in her mouth was broken with the force of her jaw clamping down on it.

"Goddammit!" She snarled. Behind her, an abnormally large man who was a startling shade of red stood stoically, not moving from the spot.

"What's wrong, Kokonoe?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong, Tager. What's wrong is that our agent at Beacon says Ragna Mutsuki and Noel Vermillion are students there! Do you know how good this is for the NOL?! The two people they absolutely need for their plans right at the one place they need in order to complete said plans! Terumi's probably shitting his pants with excitement right now. Tager! This calls for upgrades." The man behind her shifted.

"Kokonoe, I don't think now's the time. We need to give our agent more-"

"Tager. We are upgrading your robotic ass right now. Get in the examination room, you know how this works. If we're gonna stand a chance, we need you at your best."

"Why not fight yourself?"

"Because I can get idiots like you to fight for me. Now, into the room. I'll get the charts." Tager reluctantly walked through a large metal door, It slid open and he sat down on a chair big enough to accommodate someone of his size. Kokonoe grabbed some large charts from a nearby board and ran to a glass screen and, through it, looked at the behemoth of a man. She put the charts on one side of the screen, and on the other, put her hand against the glass. It scanned, and lasers began to look over Tager.

"Alright...magnets, magnets, magnets!" Kokonoe laughed with unbridled glee.

* * *

The students had all sat down in the plain classroom. The seats were arranged so that they were all spread out on even ground. It was like a church; there were benches lined in front of one another, and the teacher sat upon a podium that made her stand above her students. In front of the benches were desks for books and note-taking. Like all of their last classes, Noel, Makoto, and Tsubaki all sat in the back, while team RWBY took front-row seats. The teacher cleared her throat and began to talk.

"History: What is it good for? That is the question I'm sure many of you are asking. I can tell you what it's good for: everything. History is the world's greatest teacher. Triumphs, mistakes, and discoveries all lie in history books, and from these you can learn what the common classroom cannot teach you. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it, as the old saying goes, and I cannot think of anything more true. To understand the past is to take control of the future. Using humanity's mistakes and triumphs as guidelines, you can emulate the greatness taught by history and avoid the failures that plague it. Now that you understand, or at least have now been given the chance to understand, exactly why this class is necessary, allow me to explain the beginning of history. Allow me to explain where the recordings of human exploits begin." Tsubaki was on the edge of her seat. A grin was plastered on her face, and she gripped her desk like she was strangling the flimsy wood. She had always loved history. Makoto and Noel, as always, were trying to pay attention. Noel succeeded more in this; she was always a good listener. However, she had trouble fighting off boredom, like most people. Makoto, on the other hand, was already losing interest.

"In the beginning of humanity, there was no peace. There was blood and war and hatred. The Grimm, creatures of darkness, sought to slaughter humanity and all they had created. And there was one Grimm who stood at the head of the fight: The Black Beast, a Grimm so powerful that no weapon could touch it and that it could demolish entire cities with a swipe of its dreadful claws. The Grimm were made from the Black Beast. It was made of sethir, a substance that forms all Grimm. They sprung from its body and attacked. There was no way to fight against them. However, that was before Dust. Dust, a substance that could be used to channel magic energy, was created just as humanity was on the verge of extinction. With this, they could truly kill the Grimm, and humanity beat the Black Beast back. But that was not the only weapon that was at the disposal of humanity. They also wielded the Nox Nyctores. To understand why the Nox Nyctores are so powerful, we must first understand what Ars Armagus and Ars Magus are." At this, the teacher took a pause, allowing students to take notes and let the knowledge seep in. Tsubaki's arm was moving with incredible speed; she was sure to get all of this down. She knew it already, but didn't want to slack off. Besides, she might learn something new from this teacher. Makoto, meanwhile, was drawing caricatures of her classmates. Tsubaki reached over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Tsubaki..." The fauna said guiltily.

"Focus, Makoto," was the kind reply. The teacher went on.

"Ars Magus is the science of manipulating Dust. Dust is a volatile substance, as I'm sure some of our students already know," the teacher said, looking directly at Ruby Rose. Some students chuckled, and one cried out,

"crater face!" Yang shot the student an angry glare, and Ruby's face turned into the color of her namesake.

"Anyway, humans used Ars Magus to control Dust and put it in weapons. Ms. Schnee's Myrtenaster is the basest example of this. Dust is kept in shells and used like a gun uses ammo. That was, as I said, the basest form of Ars Magus. It wasn't used for purposes other than creating weapons until after the defeat of the Black Beast, and humanity hadn't yet developed a better way to insert Dust into weaponry. Ms Long's Ember Celica is a more complex example." Yang stuck out her tongue at Weiss, who sighed.

"Such a child," she muttered.

"Ms. Long, who seems to be kissing the air," the teacher began, making Yang grin proudly and without embarrassment as several students laughed,

"wields a weapon infused with Dust. There is no cartridge to contain her Dust; her weapon is made from Dust itself, and Dust flows through its inner workings. However, what both Myrtenaster and Ember Celica have in common is that they are both powered by Dust. If the Dust runs out, they cannot use their weapons. That is how humans used to fight, relying only on skill. The weapons were merely tools of war. Now, through Dust, weapons have become much, much more." As the teacher spoke, Ruby was growing more attentive. She was writing things down and adding her own little notes. Weiss was glad to see team RWBY's leader taking an academic interest in something, especially something so ingrained with the team's survival. However, it failed to dispel her earlier annoyance with Ruby, and she found herself thinking about less than pleasant memories of her team leader.

"As I was saying, Dust is needed to use weapons and magic, and weapons that need Dust to work are called Ars Armagus, or, more simply, Armagus. However, this is part of the reason why Nox Nyctores are so powerful: They need no Dust. Their magic is gained through accessing the user's Aura, as opposed to people who fight with only Aura and no weapon to channel it through, like Ms. Nanaya. She has weapons, tonfas, but they are only tools to increase the power of her punches. Her true strength comes from the immense power of her Aura." The teacher pointed to Makoto, who waved before the teacher continued on.

"Nox Nyctores, unlike regular weapons, can grow stronger. While only the wielders of weapons can grow in strength, with Nox Nyctores, the weapon grows with the wielder. It becomes stronger as it channels the user's Aura, which grows stronger with battle experience as well as when the user learns to control it with more skill. Ms. Vermillion is among the students here with a Nox Nyctores, the weapon known as Bolverk. They are said to be guns that can fire through space and dimensions; for example, shooting a bullet at one area and having it go somewhere else. I understand that you can wield them with great skill, Ms. Vermillion." Noel turned red and lowered herself in her seat, although Makoto lifted her up.

"Yep! Noellie's pretty cool, alright. She can turn Bolverk into a-" The teacher cut off Makoto's ramblings.

"This class is not about Ms. Vermillion. Please sit down, Ms. Nanaya." The fauna sat, and earned harsh snickers from racists. Tsubaki sighed. Makoto had to learn to draw less attention to herself. She shot an angry glare at snickering students and then turned back to the teacher.

"Continuing on, there were a select few who wielded Nox Nyctores, but the names of these people, some of whom were faunas, were lost to history. However, these individuals were known as the Six Heroes. One among them was known now not to wield a Nox Nyctores, but he fought nonetheless. They led humanity to victory, giving them the Ars Magus to use Dust through and the knowledge to build Ars Armagus. However, while their identities are lost, one record remains. The record identifies one of the heroes through an alias. That alias is Mitsuyoshi. Now, with the Six Heroes gone and humanity saved, civilizations could truly be built. However, to end this portion of the class, we will not discuss this. The events after the Six Heroes and the Black Beast shall be discussed next class. Today, I wish to conclude the lecture by introducing Aura. I know all of you are aware of what it is, but I feel the need to remind you: Aura is needed to use Dust. It is a shield. It defends us from the darkness of the Grimm and from the poison of the sethir which permeates the air. Every being with a soul uses Aura. The Grimm have no souls, and thus cannot use Aura. Aura is needed to manifest Dust into magic, and no one can use Dust in the exact same way. As everyone's Aura is different, it uses Dust in a different way. For example, if I were to use Ms. Valkyrie's-" the teacher was interrupted.

"That's me! I'm Ms. Valkyrie! I'm up here! Hey!" Nora shouted out. The teacher sighed, wondering why she chose Nora Valkyrie as an example. Meanwhile, Lie Ren got her to sit down and apologized for her. The teacher nodded at him as a sign that she didn't care about Nora's outburst, and continued on.

"...If I were to use Ms. Valkyrie's weapon, Magnhild, I could not use it in the same way she does. She uses lightning, as her weapon is powered by lightning Dust. However, I would not be able to use the lightning as she could, and my lightning would take a different shape and color. That is because my Aura reacts with Dust differently from hers. So take heed: your weapon is yours alone. Only you can use it as you do, and your power belongs to you and no one else. Hone your craft and forge your path, knowing all the while that the only tools you have at your disposal are your body, mind, and Aura." With this, the teacher concluded her lecture and moved onto other things. The students were all intrigued, although some were more so than others.

* * *

After history class, the students had break. They were able to go where they wanted and do as they pleased. Makoto and Noel ran off to socialize (well, Makoto ran off, Noel was forced to come along), promising Tsubaki that they'd meet in the cafeteria before lunch. As for herself, Tsubaki wanted to try and strike up a conversation with Weiss Schnee, who seemed to take being a Huntress as seriously as she did. She loved her friends, but sometimes, she wanted the company of someone more sensible. She found the heiress sitting alone, looking angry.

"Hello, Weiss." She looked up at Tsubaki and smiled.

"Hello. You are Tsubaki Yayoi, correct? It's nice to meet you. I've heard about you, the Yayoi family prodigy."

"And I've heard about you. Who doesn't know the name Weiss Schnee?" The two chuckled, and Weiss offered Tsubaki a seat.

"So...how did you like the classes?" She asked.

"They're excellent. Beacon isn't called the best school in Vytal for nothing," Tsubaki answered.

"I was particularly intrigued by our last class. That teacher knows what she's talking about."

"Yes. I heard her name was Ms. Faye-Ling. She used a lot of examples within the student body," Tsubaki noted.

"I think it was a smart way of engaging students in the lecture and making sure they were paying attention," Weiss replied.

"It was...sorry, I couldn't help but notice that you seem upset about something," Tsubaki noted.

"What does it matter to you?" The heiress asked coldly. Tsubaki smiled apologetically.

"I came over here in an attempt to earn your friendship. What better way to do that than to help you with you problem?" Weiss sighed, touched by Tsubaki's kind words.

"I apologize for my rudeness...I hope you understand that I'm not exactly eager to talk about personal problems with someone I hardly know."

"Of course. You don't have to talk." However, Weiss Schnee did talk.

"...I think I should have been team RWBY's leader." Tsubaki looked a bit surprised.

"Why?"

"I've demonstrated my intellect and skill in battle. The faculty at Beacon should know that I'm far more qualified than Ruby! She's done nothing as a leader, and has only been a hindrance to the team. She has no concept of strategy or teamwork, and I'm surprised she was enrolled here two years early. I've trained my whole life for this, and she just waltzes in with her ridiculous weapon and somehow becomes the leader of an entire team!" Tsubaki listened to Weiss' rant, unimpressed.

"And how do you know that Ruby hasn't?"

"Excuse me?!"

"What if Ruby has trained her whole life as well? What if she's worked just as hard as you?"

"She clearly hasn't, judging from her performance in class and on the battlefield!"

"How do you know for sure? And even if she hasn't, she clearly has some skill. Perhaps you can't see it, but Ozpin can."

"He made a mistake!"

"Did he? I'd trust the headmaster of Beacon over a Huntress-in-training."

"And so, because of his status, you'd blindly agree with him? Nothing is perfect, and even the most skilled can make mistakes."

"But not as often as others with less skill. And it's only been a day. You should wait and see what Ruby can do before denouncing her."

"I have seen what she can do-" Weiss was rudely interrupted but Tsubaki's sharp, scolding words.

"And she led you and the others to victory in the Emerald Forest. Weiss, throwing a tantrum won't change your situation. Nothing will. The only thing you can do is accept Ruby as your leader. You have to stay with her through her mistakes and failures as well as her triumphs. With her own skill and guidance from you and the rest of team RWBY, she can surely become a great leader, if she isn't already. Instead of whining about what you lack, be thankful for what you have. Or have you been spoiled so badly that you can't even understand thankfulness? Are you so used to having your way that you are reduced to a child, as you so often call Ruby, when things don't go in your favor?" At Tsubaki's words, the white-haired heiress fumed. Her hands were clenched and so were her teeth.

"Tsubaki Yayoi-"

"Weiss. I know that you'd make a great leader, but now, you have to focus on being a great teammate, even if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I offended you, and I understand if you want me to leave. Just...please let Ruby learn. I have a leader who needs to learn as well, after all." Weiss was shaking where she stood, and eventually stood up with Tsubaki. She looked absolutely murderous. However, instead of yelling at the redhead, she held out her hand and smiled.

"Thank you, Tsubaki. I can't call Ruby a child if I'm acting like one myself, can I? Although, I will admit...I still think I'd be a far better leader than Ruby," Weiss said. Tsubaki smiled back.

"To be perfectly honest, so do I."

* * *

Makoto was talking with Blake and Yang, leaving Noel and Ruby to stand around awkwardly, trying to build up the courage to have a conversation. Eventually, Ruby did so.

"So, Noel...how's life at Beacon?" She asked. The blonde trembled as she answered.

"Scary..."

"Huh?"

"I-I said scary," Noel said, louder this time.

"I can't argue with you there. Every time I take a step, I'm afraid Weiss is going to jump out and yell at me for not putting my foot in the right spot or something," Ruby said. The two girls chuckled at the thought.

"She does seem difficult," Noel said nervously, looking around to see if Weiss was nearby.

"She is...but I know that she's a nice person. You weren't there, but...in the Emerald Forest, she was really...nice, I guess," Ruby said awkwardly.

"She seemed mad at you back in Profesor Port's class."

"She was...she said that she should have been team RWBY's leader. I'm...I'm just worried she's right. What if Ozpin made a mistake?" Ruby asked. Noel froze. She had never been depended upon for advice before. She always depended on others, hoping that Tsubaki, Makoto, or even Ragna under certain circumstances, would give her the advice she needed. But Noel supposed she had to stop being the dependent one and start being someone to depend on, and this was as good a time as any. Building up her courage, she spoke. Ruby was very easy to talk to, and she was someone Noel thought would be a nice friend.

"I had the same problem...I thought that I shouldn't have been the leader. But Tsubaki told me that I needed to experience being a leader in order to learn how to be good at it. The only way you'll be a better leader is by learning through experience, she told me. And she's right. But you're not me, Ruby. I heard about what you did in the Emerald Forest...how you decapitated that Nevermore. It's really impressive...and...it shows that you're a great leader, no matter what anyone thinks. If you doubt yourself, your doubts will become reality. If you believe in yourself, that belief won't be for nothing. Just...be confident, I guess. And it's only the first day, you've got a long time to prove that you're a good leader. It's early to make judgements...so, how did I do?" Noel asked nervously. She was out of breath from her speech, and wanted nothing more than to be alone with her embarrassment. Ruby smiled.

"You did great. I guess I just have to keep my head held high and believe that I can lead team RWBY!" She shouted enthusiastically. Out of nowhere, Yang came up and gave her a big bear hug.

"That's the spirit, sis! You can do this! Go Ruby! Blake, chant with me!"

"Go Ruby!" The black-haired girl said, playing along.

"Go Ruby!" Makoto shouted. She then grabbed Noel.

"Say it, Noellie!"

"G-Go...Ruby..."

"Louder!" Yang ordered.

"Yang, stop! She doesn't have to!" Ruby protested.

"Go Ruby!" Noel shouted. Makoto burst into laughter, and Blake looked at her, hitting her in the back as her laughing turned into coughing.

"Eh...must have laughed from the wrong pipe there. Thanks, Blake," she said sheepishly.

* * *

**OKAY, THAT WAS A LONG CHAPTER. I HOPE PEOPLE LIKED IT! I WAS PERSONALLY VERY IMPRESSED BY HOW I COMBINED THE BLAZBLUE WORLD AND THE RWBY WORLD, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO POINT OUT TYPOS AND GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES, EITHER. SO, I COVERED KOKONOE, TAGER, THE HISTORY OF THIS BLAZBLUE/RWBY WORLD, AND I ALSO CONTINUED WITH MY OWN SPIN ON THE EVENTS OF RWBY. INSTEAD OF PETER PORT AND OZPIN GIVING RUBY AND WEISS ADVICE (IF I HAD SAID THAT OUT LOUD, IT WOULD HAVE RHYMED!), I MADE IT TSUBAKI AND NOEL WHO OFFERED THEIR WISDOM. BUT DON'T WORRY! PETER PORT AND HIS MAGNIFICENT MUSTACHE WILL HAVE MULTIPLE CHANCES TO REGALE STUDENTS WITH THEIR (MOSTLY THE MUSTACHE'S) WISDOM! ALSO, I DIDN'T COVER RAGNA; I HAD PLANNED TO, BUT THERE WAS A LOT GOING ON AND I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THE CHAPTER TOO LONG. AS SUCH, EXPECT THE NEXT CHAPTER TO BE ALL ABOUT RAGNA. ALSO, DON'T BE ALARMED. WHILE THE TEACHER'S NAME IS MS. FAYE-LING, SHE ISN'T LITCHI AND SHE ISN'T RELATED TO HER. SHE'S AN OC WITH THE SAME LAST NAME, AND SHE'LL PLAY INTO THE STORY SOMEHOW. SHE WON'T HAVE A MAJOR ROLE, AS I DON'T WANT A MERE OC TAKING ANY SPOTLIGHT THAT BELONGS TO THE MAIN CAST, BUT STILL.**

**ALSO, I SAW RWBY EPISODE 10. DEAR GIRL, CONFESS TO ME YOUR STRIFE! I LOVE PETER PORT.**

**ALSO ALSO, WEISS IS MOST DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE RWBY CHARACTER. SHE IS INCREDIBLY UNIQUE AND INTERESTING, DESPITE HER BITCHINESS IN THE EARLIER EPISODES. I CAN TELL THAT HER BIGGEST CHARACTER FLAW IS HER PRIDE. SHE NEEDS TO BECOME MORE HUMBLE IF SHE IS TO REACH HER TRUE POTENTIAL AS A HUNTRESS AND A PERSON. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FROM HER! MONTY DID DESCRIBE HER AS A REBEL, AS EVERYTHING IN HER LIFE WAS CHOSEN FOR HER BY HER PARENTS. I REALLY WANT TO SEE THAT ASPECT OF HER PERSONALITY COME INTO PLAY.**

**ALSO ALSO ALSO, WEISS LOOKS ADORABLE IN HER NIGHTGOWN. I THOUGHT RUBY WAS THE SHOW'S MAIN CUTENESS CONTENT, BUT I WAS WRONG.**


	8. Mantra Of The Azure

Ragna awoke feeling very angry. He looked around for Jubei, ready to yell the fauna's head off. Instead, he found Glynda Goodwitch.

"Hello, Ragna," she said.

"Why the hell did you hire that guy?! He could have broken my damn ribs! Besides, I didn't know that teachers could kick the shit out of their students," he spat.

"You were attempting to hurt him, were you not? When one spars, one usually expects to be hurt. In a fight, whether or not you are a student means nothing."

"...Fine, fine. You've got a point there. I just...well, I wasn't expecting the asshole to knock me out."

"You will address your superiors with respect."

"Why? If Jubei can talk shit to me, I can talk shit to him."

"I suppose you've never heard of etiquette," Glynda sighed.

"When can I get outta here?" He asked.

"You can leave after I've told you when your next class with Professor Jubei will take place."

"So? When am I gonna get my ass kicked again?" Ragna asked spitefully.

"You will have your next class after lunch tomorrow. You may go to your friends. I believe lunch is starting in five minutes. Would you like me to show you to the cafeteria?"

"Nah, I'll just walk around blindly and hope I find it by myself," Ragna said sarcastically. Glynda glared daggers at him and he didn't talk anymore. Ragna never did know when to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

"Ragna!" Makoto shouted. The white-haired student sighed and walked over to them.

"Hey," he said.

"What happened? I thought you were coming back for the rest of the classes," Tsubaki asked.

"Are you alright?" Noel questioned him, looking worried.

"Hey, thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. The guy I'm supposed to be working with, Jubei, knocked me out cold. That guy's tough as shit. Seriously, I got out Blood Scythe and everything and I couldn't even touch the asshole!" Ragna complained.

"Blood Scythe? Wow..." Noel muttered. Makoto clapped him on the back, making Ragna grimace.

"You'll get him next time!"

"Like hell I will. He's way outta my league."

"Yeah, I figured." Tsubaki passed Ragna a tray of colorful vegetables and a platter of meat.

"I got you some lunch," she said.

"Damn, look at all this meat!"

"Say thank you," Tsubaki insisted.

"Do I have to? I mean, I'm grateful and all that, but I'm also hungry. I could probably eat a damn truck," he said, tucking in. Ragna was an angry eater; Noel was intimidated by how he eviscerated his food.

"Mph mph mph mm mph?" He asked. Makoto answered.

"Mph mph mph mph mg." Tsubaki buried her face in her hands.

"What are they saying, Tsubaki?" Noel asked.

"I don't think they even know what they're saying," she muttered. Ragna swallowed his food, and Makoto kept on chewing.

"So, how's class?"

"Amazing," Tsubaki said happily.

"It's...nice," Noel told him nervously.

"You weren't even paying attention, were you?"

"I-I was! Sometimes..."

"You were probably writing your shitty poetry."

"How would you know how it is? You haven't even seen it!"

"You won't show it to anyone!"

"Well...maybe the world isn't ready for my work!" Noel insisted.

"Maybe the world isn't ready for you," Ragna replied.

"Hey!" Noel protested. Makoto laughed, and Tsubaki smiled.

"I'm sure you're a great poet, Noel," she said.

"She probably writes erotica," Ragna said.

"I-I-I do not! I write beautiful masterpieces!"

"About erotica."

"You're erotica!"

"That didn't even make any sense."

"It would explain why you don't want anyone seeing your poetry," Makoto added in.

"Et tu, Makoto?" Noel whimpered.

"Noel's just very shy and is afraid of criticism," Tsubaki defended.

"Sure. Or maybe she writes-" Ragna was interrupted by a delicate hand pressing against his mouth.

"Not another word!" Noel insisted. Ranga removed her hand.

"Don't do that again," he warned.

"I'm sure it's very tasteful erotica, Noellie."

"It's not erotica!"

"I'll believe you when I see it, Noellie." The four continued talking on like this, catching the attention of quite a few students, most notably Blake.

"Noel writes poetry?" She mused to herself. Her curiosity was piqued.

"What are you thinking about? Curious about all that erotica talk over there?" Yang asked slyly.

"I just didn't know Noel wrote poetry."

"You mean erotica," Yang said.

"Yang!" Noel shouted from across the room.

"Hey, I call it like I see it."

"Yang, stop bothering her!"

"But sis, aren't you curious?"

"No!" Meanwhile, Weiss slowly moved to another table.

"Please don't let them see me, please don't let them see me..."

"Hey, Weiss!" The heiress sighed and turned around. This was going to be a long lunch.

* * *

Eventually, the room was split into two sides. One side was led by Tsubaki, and it was called the non-erotica side. Noel looked at her friend with admiration, but was still very embarrassed. She was joined on that side by Jaune, who was being very supportive, and Pyrrha Nikos, who didn't fully understand what was going on, but decided to follow Jaune. Ruby also joined them, thinking the whole thing was silly and was feeling very sorry for Noel. However, she was having fun. The other side was led by Yang, and it was called the erotica side. Ragna and Makoto were on that side, and Noel looked at them, feeling very betrayed. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie were on the erotica side as well, as Nora dragged Ren away with her as he went to the non-erotica side. He waved apologetically, and Noel waved back, indicating she forgave him. Ren was powerless against whirlwind Nora. Blake was watching from afar, interested to see how things played out, and she was joined by Weiss, who just wanted to eat her lunch in peace.

"Alright! So, we have two sides. How do we settle this?" Yang asked.

"We beat her up and take her poetry," Ragna answered bluntly. Makoto smacked him in the head.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

"No one hurts Noellie on my watch!"

"Well, it might come to that if she doesn't hand over the poetry and prove us right!" Nora insisted. Makoto sighed.

"Nora..." Ren warned.

"Oh stop being so silly, Ren!" she poked him on the nose and he smiled despite himself.

"Can't we just stop? This whole thing is ridiculous. What about lunch?" Tsubaki protested.

"Says the girl on the non-erotica side. What's your basis for that argument, huh?" Yang challenged.

"Noel doesn't know the first thing about sex," she said bluntly. Noel nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Really? Does Noel go on the internet?"

"Yes."

"Does she watch TV?"

"Yes."

"Then she knows about sex, trust me," Yang said.

"Uh, guys? Noel looks like she's gonna pass out. How about we stop?" Jaune asked.

"You don't get a say in this, Mr. I'm-going-to-shamelessly-flirt-with-Weiss-Schnee," Makoto shot back. Weiss gritted her teeth at the memories that brought back.

"Hey! You can't blame a guy for trying, can you? I mean, who wouldn't flirt with Weiss Schnee?" He said, immediately regretting his words. Pyrrha sighed, and Weiss nonchalantly took a seat behind Blake who then shifted, leaving the heiress revealed.

"Blake! I need a hand!" Weiss hissed.

"I'm trying to read."

"You're so annoying!" Meanwhile, the two groups were discussing amongst themselves how to solve this dilemma. They could fight, which was the obvious option, or they could try and think of something more creative. However, Yang was eager to fight.

"I say that I do it," she said.

"Sounds good," Ragna agreed, not willing to fight for something so trivial.

"No, I want to!" Nora protested.

"Ren, calm her down," Yang ordered.

"She's not a dog, Yang. I have no power over her," Ren said.

"Well, I'm doing it. So there," the blonde said, sticking her tongue out at Nora, who did the same.

"Are you trying to kiss each other or something, or are we gonna get this show on the road?" Ragna asked.

"I'm trying to gloat here," Yang said.

"I could do it," Makoto offered.

"No way!"

"Hey, Noel is my friend, and I'm the only one who gets to humiliate her."

"Don't I get a chance to humiliate Noel?"

"No way!"

"What about me?"

"You don't get a chance either, Nora!"

"No fair!" Yang was about to step out and announce that she was fighting, but Makoto beat her to it.

"I'm going to challenge whoever the non-erotica group chooses! If I win, we get to read Noellie's poetry to the entire class and we're proven right! If the non-erotica challenger wins, her poetry stays secret and it is assumed to be vanilla stuff! Deal?" Tsubaki was about to denounce the idea, but the most unexpected of people stepped forward and spoke first.

"Done. I'll be your opponent," Blake said.

* * *

"Blake!" Tsubaki shouted in protest.

"That's the only way this is going to be solved, Tsubaki. They'll never leave Noel alone unless I do this."

"But-"

"I'll win. I promise." Blake walked up to Makoto and shook her hand.

"Let's make this a good match," she said.

"I'll pound you into dust," was the competitive reply.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked mysteriously before walking away. She took Noel aside and made a proposal.

"Noel. I'll fight for you and make sure no one reads your poetry...no one except me." Noel gasped.

"W-What?!"

"I want to read it. If you don't give me your word that I can read it, I won't fight for you."

"T-This is blackmail!"

"It's bargaining. You didn't think I'd do this without expecting something in return, did you?"

"I...I hoped you would..."

"You hoped wrong. Look, either I can see it or the entire school can see it, because they'll never stop bothering you. Ever."

"I can ask someone else!"

"I can always write erotica and pretend it's yours." Noel paled. Her legs began to shake.

"You...you wouldn't..."

"Try me. I'm no novice to sabotage," Blake said. Noel knew from the second she said those words that Blake Belladonna was an opponent she did not want to cross.

"Okay...but don't tell anyone about it. Please," she begged.

"Done," Blake replied.

* * *

The fight was scheduled for a week from now. Glynda had allowed them to fight as part of a training exercise, but she wanted the first week of school as ordinary as possible before all the crazy came in. She wanted the students to get adjusted to a schedule. The students departed for classes, and from there, the day went along as normal as usual. Meanwhile, Jubei faced a dilemma with writing Ragna's chant.

"I can do this...I mean, I've written stuff before, I can probably help," he said. He walked back and forth through the dark halls, twirling a pencil in midair.

"Think, think...should I have a little fun with him? Make him say something embarrassing? Or should I take this seriously?" Hm," the fauna wondered. He truly believed that a mantra would help Ragna to control his Azure Grimoire, but he had no idea how to go about it. As he paced, sure that no one would come out and see him, a girl ran hurriedly down the halls and bumped into him. She fell on Jubei and he gently pushed her off. She seemed sad, and Jubei noticed she was petting his tail.

"Hey, what are you doing out here so late?" He asked suspiciously. The blonde girl bowed in apology.

"I'm really, really sorry...I just wanted to go to the bathroom, but I lost my way, and then I remembered that there's a bathroom in the dorm, and now I'm lost and it's dark and I just want to go to sleep!" She moaned. As she spoke, Jubeoi looked down. At her feet, he noticed a small slip of paper. He picked it up and the girl blushed and tried to get it back. However, he moved with incredible speed and she missed. He glanced at it and gave it back to her. She was crimson now, sure that she'd die from embarrassment. However, she shouldn't have been embarrassed. Jubei was very interested in her paper.

"Huh. That's...very catchy. Why'd you write it?"

"I-I...was thinking for a cool line for an action poem..."

"And this is it?"

"Yes..."

"It's very good."

"Really?" The girl beamed.

"Of course. Say...do you really need this, or can you think of another line?"

"Why? Are you stealing my work?" She asked nervously.

"Nah, kid. You're one of Ragna's friends, right?"

"I am! I'm Noel Vermillion. Nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand.

"I'm Jubei."

"As in professor Jubei? The man who teaches Ragna?"

"Yep."

"Why don't you like being seen?"

"I'm a fauna. People wouldn't react well to having a fauna as a teacher. Noel looked down.

"That's horrible..."

"Hey, no worries. Things are gonna get better for us fauna," Jubei said confidently. Noel smiled, admiring his optimism.

"So...why do you want the line?"

"To focus his Azure Grimoire, I need Ragna to calm down and concentrate on a certain rhythm. I think that a mantra would be perfect, and I think that this would do the trick. Do you mind letting me keep it?" Jubei asked.

"Of course! I'd love to be of help! But are you sure it's going to work?" Noel asked him, clearly worried about her friend.

"He'll be fine."

"What about you?"

"My Aura's strong enough to ward off his Grimoire even if he can't control it. I'm no stranger to battle."

"Wow...you must be really strong."

"I am," he said.

"A-Anyway, could you tell me how to get to Ragna's dorm?" Jubei smiled and gave her the directions she needed. Noel ran off.

"She's a good kid. Ragna's lucky to have a friend like her," he said.

* * *

Jubei looked over the paper, smiling. Noel could really write. She had a hyperactive imagination, too.

"Restriction 666 released, dimensional interference field deployed. Blazblue, activate."

* * *

**ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE! I HOPE PEOPLE LIKE WHAT I DID WITH RAGNA'S FAMOUS BLAZBLUE ACTIVATION QUOTE. I THOUGHT IT WAS CLEVER. THIS WAS MAINLY A COMIC RELIEF CHAPTER, A FILLER, IF YOU WILL. I POSTED THE LAST CHAPTER AND THIS ONE IN A REALLY CLOSE TIMEFRAME BECAUSE I'M REALLY GETTING INTO THIS STORY. SERIOUSLY, I'M HYPED. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD WAIT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF RWBY TO COME OUT TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER, AS I DON'T WANT TO DEVIATE TOO FAR FROM THE CANON PLOT OF RWBY. NEXT: EXPECT RAGNA TO TRY OUT HIS NEW MANTRA, AND PERHAPS THERE WILL BE MORE ABOUT HAZAMA.**


	9. At The Bloody Edge

Ragna snarled as Tsubaki gently shook him awake. It was a new day with new challenges, challenges that Ragna would rather not face. He rolled over, only to find Makoto. She squeezed his cheeks and he shot up, his hand shoving her off of his bed.

"What the hell?!" He snarled. Tsubaki got up and sighed in annoyance.

"We're not back at home, Ragna. This is, for the last time, Beacon Academy. We have a schedule to adhere to."

"I just spent these last few weeks getting my ass pounded in by Jubei. Can't I get a break?!"

"No rest for the wicked! Come on, you've got Jubei first thing in the morning," Makoto encouraged Ragna. He got up and growled, giving the two girls a nasty look.

"G-Good morning, Ragna," Noel said timidly. She got an annoyed grunt in return.

"You're going to have to get yourself up one of these days," Tsubaki warned the white-haired man.

"Whatever."

* * *

Ragna stalked into the training room, where he found Jubei waited for him. For weeks, the two had practiced focus techniques, as well as sparring. Jubei hadn't used the mantra yet, something that annoyed Ragna to no end. For something that was made out to be so important, it seemed to have been forgotten after the first class. Well, until Jubei spoke.

"Kid, I think you've got the focus and technique to use the mantra." Ragna laughed bitterly.

"Finally. I was beginning to think the chant was just something you made up to screw with me."

"Yeah, well it isn't. You've been doing focus training to prepare for the concentration you'll need to control the Azure. Here's the chant," Jubei handed Ragna a piece of folded paper. The Hunter-in-training opened it and found a lovingly written chant that made him scowl.

"This is Noel's, isn't it?" Jubei grinned.

"You know your friends. She made it for some sort of poem, but let me use it instead. She's a good kid, Ragna. Don't take a friend like her for granted." Ragna looked down, his expression darkening.

"That's one thing I'd never do," he said. Jubei thought of the second time Ragna used the Azure. It had been all over the news.

"Anyway, you wanna try activating the Azure?" He asked.

"You sure you won't get ripped apart?"

"I've been hit by worse than that. Do it." Ragna grinned.

"Whatever you say." The white-haired man lifted his Azure arm in front of him, using his other arm to hold it. The shell on his right hand opened, revealing the Azure, glowing with red and black energy. It coiled around the young man like a snake, and then swirled in a tornado of pure darkness. A strange sigil appeared in front of Ragna's hand.

"Restriction 666 released, dimensional interference field deployed...Blazblue, activate!"

* * *

Jubei's satisfied smile vanished as red and black energy poured from Ragna's Grimoire, spilling into the air and turning into a tumultuous inferno of energy. It wasn't like the pure darkness that Ragna normally used. It was thicker and tainted with crimson.

"What was I expecting?" Jubei muttered. The energy took the shape of a towering beast, but it was covered by the dark inferno. The head of the beast rosehigh above Ragna, and the claws stemmed from his sides. The inferno faded, revealing the dark creature. Ragna grimaced. The mantra had lessened the release of the Azure, but he was still having trouble. Jubei stood in front of him, his yellow Aura matched his clothes, covering him and deflecting the darkness of the Grimoire. Ragna screamed and the beast faded, being sucked into the Grimoire. The red and black dark energy still surrounded him even when the beast was gone.

"Not bad, kid. How'd the chant help?"

"Shit...the Grimoire was eating my damn mind. That stupid chant might have just saved my ass," Ragna spat out, barely able to speak. He managed to form words when he wasn't panting. His heavy breathing was the only noise in the chamber for a few seconds, but Jubei quickly acted on the next phase of his training.

"Now turn it off."

"Huh?!"

"Turn off the Azure."

"I don't know how, goddammit! I've never done it before!"

"Then how did you stop it the other times you used it?" Ragna bit his lip, unwilling to answer the question.

"Go on, kid."

"...I didn't. Some guy had to knock me out."

"The same guy, both times?"

"Yeah, actually," Ragna said. His head was lowered in shame, and Jubei smiled sadly at him.

"Then I'll knock you out. We can work on a deactivation mantra later. Come on, Ragna. Show me what the Azure can do."

"You sure you can handle it?" Ragna asked, his hand gripping Blood Scythe like he was trying to choke it. Jubei smirked. He still didn't draw his weapon.

"Am I sure? Kid, that arm of yours can't even touch me." Jubei ran towards Ragna. His black Aura mixed with the energy of the Azure, and he slashed. A massive black and red wave of pure darkness hurtled towards Jubei, stemming from Ragna's blade. The fauna jumped over it, and Ragna turned around, running at his teacher as he landed. The white-haired man slashed once downwards and then once up, jumping into the air with the second slash. Both slashes created waves of energy from his sword, trailing the blade like paint from a paintbrush. Jubei dodged both, but he had to increase his speed and strength significantly. While it didn't hurt him, the force of the Grimoire was pushing Jubei back, forcing him to exert himself. He and Ragna ascended, and the young man held his blade backhand and then used darkness to propel himself into the air. It stemmed from his sword like the rest of the attacks, but it was clinging to the blade like goo, as opposed to the detached trails of darkness that came from Ragna's other slashes. Jubei landed on the blade, his Aura pushing against the sword. However, the Grimoire proved too strong, and Jubei flew further into the air, his feet hitting the ceiling. He used his hands to grip to the ceiling and hang there. Meanwhile, Ragna landed, grinning arrogantly.

"How's that, huh? Maybe you might have to draw that sword of yours."

"Not a chance, kid. You're child's play. And yeah, pun intended." Jubei descended, kicking off of the ceiling. Ragna raised his sword to block, but it was no use. Jubei was too fast, and Ragna found himself being slammed into the ground. However, with the Azure strengthening his Aura, he didn't feel a thing. Ragna swept his hand across his chest, and darkness came from nowhere and hurtled at Jubei like a wave. The fauna jumped and flipped back, dodging the attack.

"That tickled!" Ragna taunted. He then flew in for another attack, punching with pure darkness. However, the energy of the Grimoire strengthened it, and he went flying faster than he had anticipated. Jubei ducked out of the way and Ragna slammed headfirst into the metal wall. Jubei then took advantage of the opening to grab the young man and throw him into the opposite wall. Ragna got up almost instantly.

"Still tickles!" He snarled.

"Hopefully you're pretty damn ticklish, because there's a lot more where that came from."

"Did you really just say that? Did you really just say that shit to my face?"

"Hey, everyone's gotta have a one-liner, kid." Ragna charged again, this time running normally. Jubei stood there, waiting. When Ragna got close, he moved in and fired a punch. Ragna scoffed, thinking he could take it. He was wrong. Jubei's hand shone with yellow light, as the fauna was concentrating his whole Aura into his hand. The punch, consequently, hurt Ragna a good deal. In fact, it hurt him enough to knock him out. The white-haired man bounced from the ceiling to the floor, saying nothing as he faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

Jaune was not having a good day. In fact, what with Cardin Winchester and the rest of team CRDL harassing him, he wasn't having the greatest semester, either. The giant was taunting Jaune with his relaxed manner, clearly not impressed with the blonde boy's fighting skill. They circled each other. It was training, and Jaune was determined to win. He lunged at Cardin, but the powerful warrior simply knocked Jaune aside.

"Kick his ass, Jaune!" Makoto shouted. Tsubaki fixed her with a disapproving glare, and Cardin just waved at her. She gritted her teeth, but did nothing. Jaune then charged again, gripping his sword with both hands. Cardin had knocked aside his shield. As the two found their weapons colliding, Cardin spoke.

"This is the part where you lose," he said confidently. Jaune gritted his teeth.

"Over my dead-guh!" He shouted in pain, having been interrupted. Cardin kicked Jaune and he fell. The leader of team CRDL raised his weapon to finish the fight, but was interrupted by Glynda Goodwitch. She began to speak to Jaune.

"That could have gone better," Makoto mumbled. Tsubaki sighed in annoyance. Jaune was a kind person, he didn't deserved to be kicked around by a bully like Cardin. However, she didn't let her annoyance show other than her sigh. She briefly saw Pyrrha looking both angry and sorrowful. Letting Jaune fight his own battles was a bit of a strain when she wanted nothing more than to defend Jaune's honor by giving Cardin a sound beating. Tsubaki felt bad for her.

"Remember everyone, the Vytal festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale," Glynda said addressing the whole student body.

* * *

Ragna sat with his friends, nursing his wounds and his pride after being humiliatingly defeated by Jubei yet again. He briefly explained the line Noel had written for him. As for Noel herself, she smiled as he recounted his defeat, relieved that this was the only extent of her writing anyone would see. Since the fight between Makoto and Blake had been postponed due to training starting early, she was able to avoid the dilemma of her poetry, thankful that only Ragna and Jubei had seen one simple line. She didn't know what to do if Blake won the inevitable fight and saw entire poems, or if Makoto won and the school saw them instead. She was also lucky that the topic of her poetry had been lost. For the timid girl, Beacon was turning out to be alright.

* * *

"So, how'd you like the mantra? Wasn't it cool? Didn't it ignite your fighting spirit?!" Noel asked Ragna, who was devouring his lunch.

"It was ridiculous." Noel sighed at his harsh reply.

"I knew it was stupid...why do I even bother?" Makoto put an arm around the blonde and sighed.

"Noel, I'm sure you're a great poet. Ragna, stop being mean."

"I didn't say it was bad, I just said it was ridiculous. And for the record, it did ignite my fighting spirit or whatever." Noel smiled.

"Really? Guys, did you hear?" Tsubaki chuckled at Noel's enthusiasm.

"Yes. To make Ragna pay such a compliment is impressive. You should be proud, Noel," she said.

"Making Ragna pay a compliment in general is impressive," Makoto joked.

"You make me sound like a complete asshole."

"Maye you are."

"Maybe you can go shove your...hey, Makoto?" Ragna asked. He saw Makoto looking over at Cardin Winchester and the rest of team CRDL. They were harassing a fauna who was eating by herself.

"Ignore those four, Makoto. Don't waste your breath on people like them," Tsubaki said.

"Her ears are kind of cute..." Noel noted.

"Don't be insensitive, Noel. Look at what they're doing to her!" Makoto shouted with indignation. Cardin was pulling on the poor girl's ears. Noel turned red.

"I-I didn't mean to sound rude! I just think that her ears...I'm terrible," Noel moaned.

"No you're not, Noel."

"But I-"

"Noel, you're not like those boys. Hey, Makoto!" Tsubaki shouted. She admired her friends courage, but drawing attention to herself was a bad move, seeing as how she was a fauna as well. Tsubaki, despite her anger at team CRDL's actions, wanted her team to stay under the radar. However, Makoto was making it difficult. Confronting Cardin and his friends was a bad move.

"Unhand her right now, fiend!" Makoto said forcefully. The brown-haired fauna was free to go, and she hurried off, passing team RWBY and team JNPR, whose members were now looking at Makoto with admiration. At least, most of them were. Weiss, like Tsubaki, knew that Makoto was making a bad decision.

"Wow. Your kind really likes to screw themselves over, huh?" Cardin mocked, grabbing for Makoto's ears. She stepped back and scowled.

"No touching. Respect the ears, Cardin."

"Why should I respect an animal?" At this, Ragna got up. Tsubaki motioned for Noel to stay seated as she went to join her friend.

"Ragna, no."

"These assholes wanna get a one-way trip to the nurse, fine by me."

"That's a crappy one-liner if I've ever heard one. Listen to your friend, stop playing tough guy and go back to eating."

"Tough guy? Makoto could kick your ass herself, but she isn't gonna do it. Unfortunately for you, that means I will."

"Ragna! You've already gotten multiple strikes. You can't go starting fights whenever you want, you'll get expelled. You're a special case as a student, but Ozpin can't keep you at Beacon forever. Parents are going to start complaining, and the Board of Education will get involved. You don't have immunity because of the Grimoire, Ragna," Tsubaki said angrily.

"Yeah, and what's the alternative, let Makoto take shit from these guys because she looks different? Back off, Tsubaki."

"Seriously, stop playing the tough guy and get back to your seat," Makoto warned.

"Dammit, Makoto!" Cardin and his team laughed.

"This is better than TV!"

"Shut up, Winchester," Ragna snarled.

"That's some temper. Maybe you wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't associate yourself with that freak," Cardin said, pointing to Makoto. She snarled, but Ragna took her anger one step further.

* * *

Cardin Winchester was a powerful warrior, able to go toe-to-toe to the likes of Yang Xiao Long. However, very few at Beacon could do anything against an enraged Ragna. Cardin, unfortunately for him, was not one of those few. A gloved fist rocketed into his face and his teammates' eyes widened as he flew across the room. Ragna turned to pummel the rest of team CRDL, but Makoto grabbed his arm.

"Let go!" He snarled. She pulled him to the ground.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Ragna. I'm flattered that you stuck up for me, but you really, really shouldn't have done that."

"Get off of me!" Ragna caught one of team CRDL's members' foot as it flew towards him. He flipped his opponent into the air and broke free of Makoto. Tsubaki tried restraining him, but he was too strong. Ragna knocked the remaining members of team CRDL into the air, hitting them into the lunch of an unlucky team who was eating nearby. Tsubaki stalked off to get a professor, and Makoto grabbed Ragna again. However, Cardin was getting up, and he wasn't going to be caught off-guard again. He pushed Makoto aside and Ragna felt his face sting as a fist collided with it. Ragna then ripped out his sword, and Cardin revealed his mace.

"Hey Ragna! Cardin! Uh, how about you two talk this out, maybe over a cup of tea? Maybe you could-"

"Shut up, Arc!" Ragna and Cardin snarled, their weapons poised to strike.

"R-Ragna!" Noel shouted in protest, getting up. Meanwhile, Makoto heard footsteps from the hall, indicating that Tsubaki had found a professor. She quickly pushed Ragna down and took a fighting stance against Cardin, and was ready to face him when professor Peter Port walked in.

"What is this?!"

* * *

Peter Port sat in his office. He had just spoken to team CRDL, and was now talking to Makoto and Ragna.

"So...you're saying that you started the whole thing?" Peter Port asked. Makoto nodded.

"Yes, sir. They were harassing a student and I rushed to her defense. I lost my temper pretty quick, and well...here we are," she said.

"Bullshit. I picked the fight!" Ragna protested.

"Let the girl finish her story," Peter advised.

"But-"

"Ragna, shut up. I started it. You saw me fighting, professor. Ragna tried to stop me, but was hit by Cardin."

"Like hell I did! I punched the racist asshole across the damn-"

"Your friend is talking. Wait your turn," Peter said sagely, interrupting Ragna. The white-haired young man sighed, but said nothing more.

"That's the whole story. Tsubaki got you, and then everything was...sorted out."

"You do realize the consequences of your actions, correct?" Peter asked her. Makoto nodded.

"Very well. Ragna, I believe that Jubei would like to have a word with you in this very office. I shall see to it that Makoto and team CRDL are properly punished." Peter walked out, and Makoto followed. Ragna seethed, infuriated that Makoto was taking the fall for him. He did have to admit that it was very quick thinking, taking his place in front of Cardin and knocking him over to make him seem like the victim. However, it didn't make him appreciate it any more.

"That idiot..." He muttered. As he cursed under his breath, Jubei walked in.

"Good thing the halls were clear, huh?" He said nonchalantly.

"You took that risk just to chew me out? You must have way too much time on your hands."

"Yeah, well, whatever. Kid, look. I know it was you who started the fight, but I'm not gonna say anything." At this, Ragna bolted up out of his seat and seethed, his fists clenched.

"What the hell?! You're gonna let Makoto take the fall?! She didn't do shit to deserve this, just clear her-"

"Ragna! She hasn't gotten any strikes yet, she'll be fine. But your violence isn't gonna be tolerated much longer. You've started multiple fights since coming to Beacon, and I need to change that. Kid, you're making a lot of progress with the Grimoire, and your friends don't want all that undone by having you kicked out of Beacon."

"Screw that! I'm not letting-"

"Dammit kid, shut up! You're making an ass of yourself, thinking you can do whatever the hell you want and damning the consequences. You have three friends who care about you. Makoto took the fall for you, Tsubaki almost single-handedly got you into Beacon in the first place, and Noel forgave your for what happened to her parents. Yeah, I'm mentioning that. You made a mistake, and running isn't gonna change that. You need to face whatever anger you've got pent up inside so you can stop screwing up your friends' lives, got it?! Look, I believe you can change. Don't make my belief wrong." Ragna listened to Jubei, letting every word sink in. They hurt like a punch, the pain was so great.

"What happened then is my damn business, not yours!"

"You just don't listen, do you, kid?" Jubei sighed. Ragna glared at him defiantly.

"Ragna...your heart's in the right place. You stood up for your friend because you care about her and about the issues this world has. But you gotta calm down with the violence. You can't solve every problem by punching someone."

"Yeah, well, punching Winchester in the face seemed to shut him up pretty good." Jubei sighed again, knowing that he'd be doing that a lot more. Ragna was a real piece of work.

"Am I gonna have to call in a therapist? Because that seems like the only thing I can do. We've got the best, so you'll be in good hands, kid." Ragna sat down.

"...Can I just take a temporary suspension or something?" He asked. Jubei narrowed his eyes.

"Why the hell would you wanna do that?"

"I think I need some time off. Just to collect my thoughts or whatever." Jubei sighed for the third time.

"You sure that's what you need? You can't ignore your problems, kid."

"I'm not gonna. I'm visiting the graves of Noel's parents...maybe then I can look her in the eye and say that I'm sorry."

"And you're sure that's gonna help? The problem here is that you've got way too much anger."

"I don't even know what's gonna solve my problems, but I do know that you're right. Running won't change the fact that I screwed up big time."

* * *

Ragna prepared to board the ship, ready to go down and pay his respects to Noel's parents. However, as he left, he found himself joined by a familiar face.

"Noel?!" He exclaimed in surprise. She looked down.

"Ragna...I don't want you to feel bad about this. I don't hate you. What happened then is...well, back then. We're still friends, and I want you to know that I'm there for you...alright?" Noel murmured. She felt embarrassed to say it, but after talking to Makoto and Tsubaki, she decided to accompany Ragna on his suspension. She needed to confront the past just as much as he did. Ragna glared at her.

"I didn't expect this. You sure you wanna miss all of your schoolwork?"

"I'll be fine...maybe. Hopefully. Actually...you know what? That doesn't matter now. Let's just go." Ragna and Noel boarded the ship.

"Noel?" Ragna sighed as the ship took off.

"What is it?"

"Thanks...thanks for everything you've done for me. And I'm sorry. I never did apologize for what happened back then."

"You didn't have to."

* * *

**FINISHED! I KNOW I PROMISED HAZAMA, BUT I REALIZED THAT WOULDN'T WORK, AS I DIDN'T WANT THINGS GOING ON TOO LONG. HOWEVER, I DID KEEP MY PROMISE AND HAVE RAGNA ACTIVATE THE AZURE! ANYWAY, I'D REALLY, REALLY LIKE FEEDBACK, BECAUSE I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. ON ONE HAND, I REALLY LIKE HOW I'M TAKING THIS STORY IN A SLIGHTLY MORE DEPRESSING DIRECTION AND ADDRESSING RAGNA'S ANGER ISSUES AND HOW THEY'D BE DEALT WITH IN A CIVILIZED ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, I ALSO WANT TO KNOW IF I'M MAKING RAGNA TOO DRAMATIC AS A CHARACTER, AND IF THE STORY HAS TOO MUCH FOCUS ON HIM. I REALLY WANT TO FOCUS MORE ON TEAM RWBY AS WELL AS THE STAR OF THIS STORY, NOEL, BUT I'M FINDING IT DIFFICULT. RAGNA IS THE PROBLEM CHILD AFTER ALL, AND HE CAUSES MOST OF THE TROUBLE IN THE STORY, AND SO HE GAINS MOST OF THE SPOTLIGHT. I ALSO DON'T LIKE HOW I HAPHAZARDLY SHELVED THE WHOLE SIDE PLOT WITH NOEL'S POETRY. IT'S STILL GOING TO HAPPEN, I JUST CHANGED IT SO THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN LATER, AND I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. **

**I ALSO REALLY HATE THAT I'M NOT FOCUSING A LOT ON NOEL, WHO IS THE INTENDED STAR OF THIS STORY. IT'S NAMED AFTER HER, AFTER ALL, SO EXPECT A LOT OF NOEL-FOCUSED PLOT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, AS WELL AS EXPLANATION OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HER PARENTS. ALTHOUGH, I EXPECT THAT MOST HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW. ALSO, EXPECT NOEL AND RAGNA TO MEET NONE OTHER THAN RACHEL ALUCARD! I THINK I'LL WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE OF RWBY TO SEE WHERE THE STORY (BOTH THIS STORY AND RWBY'S STORY) ARE GOING, BUT I CAN FOCUS ON NOEL AND RAGNA, SEEING AS HOW, FOR NOW, THEIR ADVENTURES DON'T INTERFERE WITH THE STORY OF RWBY. ALSO, EXPECT MORE FOCUS ON TEAM RWBY IN GENERAL, SINCE ONE OF ITS MEMBERS PLAYS A VERY BIG ROLE IN THE OVERARCHING PLOT OF MY STORY. ALSO, TEAM RWBY IS AWESOME.  
**


	10. The Pain Of Letting Go

The blue mansion lay in the open field, alone but proud. The path they had taken to it was long and bumpy, but Ragna and Noel finally found where they'd be staying. Noel walked up to her house and knocked on the door. Ragna hung back, looking downcast. He wasn't eager to face Noel's aunt and uncle, her current guardians.

"Noel, is that you?" A female voice asked.

"Yes! I have Ragna with me as well," Noel replied. The door was moved, as a woman opened it. She had the same silky smooth blonde hair as Noel. Behind her, a man stood. He had very different hair, his was curly and jet black. He walked up to Noel, and she gave both of them a big hug. Ragna kept staring down, kicking at the dusty road absentmindedly.

"Come on in," the man said. Noel walked in, and Ragna waited for her aunt and uncle to follow her before entering. His hands were clenched, and he just wanted to scream. The guilt was eating at him like a hungry beast, ripping him apart. Ragna hated it.

"I heard about what happened. When we got the call, we were worried that you'd been suspended as well," the woman said to Noel. Ragna tried looking up, but didn't.

"Don't worry, I haven't caused any trouble! Actually, Tsubaki's helping me with my schoolwork, so now I'm doing really well! It's nothing special, but I am getting good grades..." Noel said. The man smiled.

"I honestly don't know what you'd do without that girl," he said.

"I-I don't know either..." Noel mumbled.

"Relax, Noel. We're your family, not your professors," the woman said warmly. The blonde girl smiled.

"Um, should I show Ragna his room now?" She asked. The woman's kind smile vanished as she looked at Ragna. The man fixed him with a stony glare, and then they both turned to Noel.

"Sure, but I want to hear more about Beacon soon. Dinner should be in thirty minutes, and you know what happens if you're late," the man said. Noel sighed.

"I'm not ten anymore! Tickling doesn't scare me!"

"Are you sure?" The woman asked. Noel backed up, looking nervous. The three family members then laughed, and Ragna stalked to the hall, wanting nothing more than to never hear that laugh again. Hanging out with Noel was one thing; she'd forgiven him. Her aunt and uncle hadn't, and they probably never would. Not that he could blame them, of course. He just hated the guilt.

* * *

"Hey, Ragna, your room is actually right this way," Noel said. Ragna hurriedly followed her, eager to get a break from her family. She led him down the dark gray halls of the Vermillion house, dim lights illuminating their path. The door to Ragna's room was a polished shade of blue, like the outside of the mansion. It was Noel's old room, before she'd grown up and gotten a bigger one.

"So, this is it! My old room. I-I hope it isn't too messy...I never was good at cleaning things up." Ragna sighed.

"I practically lived in my own filth back with the Mutsuki's. I'm used to messes, Noel." He walked in the room and threw his suitcase down on the bed. It, as well as the rest of the room, was a bright shade of pink, Noel's favorite color as a child. However, parts of it were also blue, her current favorite color. As Ragna looked around, he could see that Noel had spent most of her time in this room thinking. There were pieces of tattered paper where she ripped up failed poetry, and there was a mirror where Ragna had once caught her practicing action poses. She even once acted out an entire play that she wrote in her room, all by herself. The childish memories embarrassed her, but also comforted her. Noel did enjoy reminiscing, and she also used her childhood memories to remember her parents.

"Can I be in here with you? This room...it just brings back a lot of good memories." Ragna looked at Noel.

"It's your house. Do what you want." Ragna flopped down on the bed and sighed. Noel took a seat at her former desk, and thought for a few minutes, smiling as she did so. Ragna wished he could be as serene as she was.

* * *

"I'm sorry about my aunt and uncle. They just...haven't gotten over it yet. They will, don't worry," Noel said to Ragna once she was done with her nostalgia trip. Ragna, who was on the verge of going to sleep, got up hastily.

"Don't apologize for them. You don't have to, and neither do they. If I were in their position, I wouldn't forgive me either," he said. Noel sighed.

"I just want you to be able to relax here, okay? This is supposed to be a nice calming suspension."

"How about we just call it a vacation?" Ragna asked.

"Sure. Vacation, then," Noel replied, grinning. She swung her legs in the air as she sat on the bed. Ragna went back to lying down. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"You really liked pink," Ragna said.

"I-I did..."

"Why'd you grow out of it?"

"You told me it looked dumb, that's why!" Noel shouted indignantly. Ragna groaned.

"And you just listened to me?!"

"...Yeah..."

"Goddammit, Noel."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you can be really damn annoying." Ragna said, standing up.

"You're the annoying one!"

"Am I really?"

"Y-Yeah!"

"You don't sound all that sure, Noel. Maybe you should just give up."

"How about you give up?!" Ragna doubled over with laughter, and Noel, who had turned red with anger, simply glared at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"It's just...damn...Noel, you really haven't changed." Noel looked at him, very surprised. She got up and put her hand on Ragna's forehead, and he brushed it aside gently.

"What the hell?"

"I just want to know if you're okay. This isn't like you at all, Ragna."

"Okay, okay. Sorry."

"And you did it again! You don't apologize to anyone!"

"Yeah, well, maybe you deserve it. Maybe you deserve more apologies than I'll ever be able to give." Noel looked at Ragna, her expression changing from concern to realization. She knew what this was about.

"Noel...don't ever change."

"You don't go changing on me, either. You don't owe me anything, Ragna."

"I killed your parents, Noel. Let me make up for it, goddammit!"

"I don't want you to! I just want things to be like they used to be. I want you to be the same old Ragna I knew when I was a kid. Please," Noel said forcefully but kindly. In an emotional fit, she gave Ragna a bear hug. However, what with her poor strength, it really didn't feel all that tight. Ragna sighed.

"I'm not gonna change. I just wanna get rid of the guilt." He returned Noel's hug.

"...Okay." The two just stood as they were for a minute, absentmindedly hugging each other as if they never wanted to let go. Noel smiled as she buried her head in Ragna's jacket, and he smiled as he rested his head on hers. However, they were torn apart by a loud shout from Noel's uncle.

"Time for dinner!" They hastily disconnected and looked at each other awkwardly before hurrying to the table.

* * *

"So...how is life at Beacon Academy? Is it everything you thought it would be?" Noel's uncle asked over the clinking of silverware.

"Eh...I didn't really think about what it would be like. I just...kind thought I'd learn to be a Huntress, I guess," She replied sheepishly.

"Of course you did. So, that aside, how is it? Is anyone giving you a hard time?" Her aunt asked.

"I'm fine. I think Ragna intimidates people away," Noel told her, looking fondly at the white-haired young man, who gave a nervous smile.

"Does he now?" Noel's uncle asked, looking quizzical.

"I-It's not like he scares away any nice people or anything. I actually made a few friends," Noel said proudly.

"Really? Who are they?" Her aunt asked, ceasing to eat the casserole that her husband had prepared. Noel put down her silverware as well, ready to answer questions. Ragna kept stuffing his face.

"Uh, well, there's this nice girl named Ruby. She talks to me sometimes. And there's another girl named Nora, and she's really, really energetic and she kind of scares me, but she's still nice. And there's another girl named Blake. She likes books, and she wants to read my poetry, and I don't want to let her. I'm really nervous..."

"Just let her read it. What's the worst that could happen?" Noel's uncle asked her. She gulped.

"She could hate it..." Noel sighed.

"Considering how often you write, I think you must be pretty good by now. She'll like it, don't worry," her aunt told her.

"You wrote me that mantra, right? And that was only one line. You'll be fine," Ragna said, instantly regretting speaking. He had the attention of the entire table, and quickly tried to ignore it by looking at his food.

"Oh yeah! This really cool thing happened! Ragna's taking classes to control the Azure, and I wrote a chant that he uses so he can focus more and stop it from going berserk! He's making real progress thanks to a really nice professor named Jubei who teaches him in private. It's-" Noel looked at the stony faces of her aunt and uncle, realizing that she made a mistake in mentioning the Azure.

"I have to clean the dishes, Noel. We can talk more later," her aunt said. Her uncle proceeded to clear his and his wife's plates, leaving Ragna and Noel alone at the table.

"Uh...I'm sorry..." Noel muttered.

"It's not your fault," Ragna said, walking to his room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm tired. I think I'll get some sleep."

* * *

Almost everyone at Beacon was happy that Ragna was gone, even if for only a few days, especially the people he beat up. While Noel, Makoto, and Tsubaki had managed to get along with a lot of people, and were on especially good terms with team RWBY, Ragna had been, for the most part, an outcast. He didn't exactly endear himself to other people, what with his crude language and quick temper. The only people besides his teammates that he could consider friends were Jaune Arc, who had once helped Ragna with some schoolwork and eventually got on good terms with the white-haired young man, and Yang Xiao Long. She was more of a partner in crime than anything, someone who liked Ragna's fighting spirit and shared some of his characteristics, like a short temper and thinking-without-acting tendencies. Of course, Tsubaki and Makoto didn't share the rest of the school's sentiments. They were nothing but worried about Ragna.

"I wonder how they're doing?" Makoto mumbled. She and Tsubaki were eating alone today, both of them not feeling the need to socialize.

"I'm sure they're fine."

"You know how Noel's aunt and uncle feel about Ragna. I hope they don't give him a hard time," Makoto replied.

"Makoto, they're nice people. They won't harass him," Tsubaki said.

"Yeah, you're right. He's just...not in a good place right now."

"He has Noel with him. She'll help him out."

"Are you sure? She might not be angry like he is, but she's not exactly the most emotionally stable person," Makoto said, picking at her food. Tsubaki smiled slightly.

"I know you've been protecting Noel from a lot ever since you knew each other, but she's grown. She's the rare kind of person who can see kindness in everyone, and right now, Ragna needs to know that there's kindness in him." Makoto looked at her friend, grinning widely.

"Alright. Noel can handle herself for now. Right now, we've got more to worry about. You're taking notes for Noel, and I've got...uh, punishment."

"You still haven't told me what it is, Makoto."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly thrilled by it."

"Who would be?"

"No one, probably. Say, Tsubaki, you think they have any more of those roasted chestnuts?" The redhead sighed at her friend's gluttony.

"You've had five bowls of them, Makoto. You're going to get fat."

"Nah, I can just work it off."

"There will come a day where your workout schedule won't be enough to stave off all of that food you eat."

"But today is not that day!" Makoto shouted triumphantly, scurrying off to get more food. Tsubaki chuckled.

* * *

Noel waved to her aunt and uncle, following Ragna out the door. He wore a black tuxedo, black pants and black dress shoes. Noel wore a black trench coat, complete with a black beret. Where she found these clothes, Ragna had no idea. But she insisted in dressing in black, and Ragna agreed. However, he felt that it made things a bit too depressing, but he wanted to let Noel make the decisions, as they were visiting her parents. He wanted to pay his respects to them, and he wouldn't let his rebellious spirit ruin his redemption. They walked down the road that they had come from, anxious to get to the grave of Noel's parents. The Vermillion's had their own graveyard where they buried generations upon generations of Vermillion family members. It depressed Noel to think that she would someday rest there.

"So...do you have the flowers?" She asked. Ragna pulled them from his tuxedo. They fit perfectly. Small but beautiful, Noel thought they'd be perfect for her parents grave. The two kept walking, thoughts of happy times filling Noel's mind, while all Ragna could think of was how he'd hurt his friend. He would make things right. He swore that he would.

"The graveyard should be around here somewhere," he said gruffly, looking around.

"Yeah, it should be here..." Noel mused, doing the same. Ragna soon saw a metal post and walked towards it.

"Wait for me!" Noel shouted, running after him. The two reached the post and saw the graveyard. In the back were graves from distant ancestors, and in the front was the most recently added grave: the grave of Noel's parents.

"Ragna...I know you came here to pay your respects, but can I...can I maybe have a moment alone? You can have one too, if you want." Noel said. Ragna nodded.

"Sure thing."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. Just go over and do your thing. I'll wait." Noel smiled and walked over. She was smiling, but even so, Ragna saw tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He clenched his fists, cursing himself.

* * *

Ragna stood off to the side, waiting for Noel to finish. He looked at her, hunched over the grave. He still held the flowers. Noel wanted him to put them at the grave. He stared at the sky, the all-too-familiar sky that he'd seen the day he activated the Azure Grimoire and killed Noel's parents. He remembered it like a bad dream, and it was a nightmare he'd had all too often. He remembered playing with Noel. He remember her laugh and his mixing together, and he remembered her parents in the distance, happy that Noel and himself were having fun. He remembered them walking over to him when he tripped and lifting him from the ground, offering him a handkerchief to clean the dirt from his face. He smiled and took it, running after Noel. And then he remembered looking into the forest, and he remembered the face he saw there. He remembered the hair and the clothes and the knife. But most of all, he remembered the smile. The smile that would make the most evil of beings quiver where they stood and fall to their knees. He remembered Yuuki Terumi, the man who'd ruined his childhood once before, and he remembered the rage and the hatred and the overwhelming desire to kill. And that's when he snapped.

* * *

Ragna grimaced as he remembered releasing the Azure. The darkness ripped through the field, instantly decimating Noel's parents. He didn't see them die, but he saw them dead. Pieces of them lay everywhere, surrounding Noel. She sat on her knees, trembling, crying in a puddle of blood. Strangely enough, she hadn't been affected by the Azure, but Ragna hadn't given that any thought. He was too enraged, too bloodthirsty. He stalked towards Terumi, moving through the storm of darkness. He kept walking, only to find that Terumi was gone. It was then that he looked and truly realized what he'd done. Ragna screamed. punching the ground. It was then that a man walked up to him, carrying a sobbing Noel on his back. He held a massive black sword and had jet black hair. A calm smile was on his face. Ragna remembered the man asking he he could stop the Azure, and Ragna remembered saying no. The man apologized and hit the butt of his sword into Ragna's head. He fell and looked at the sky, the sky he'd grown to hate, and fell unconscious, a single tear falling from his eye. He remembered it all, and he hated it. He hated everything about it. But most of all, he hated Yuuki Terumi. In fact, his feelings probably transcended hatred. Ragna would have that man's head impaled upon his sword, or he would die trying.

* * *

"Hello," a voice behind Ragna said. He snapped out of his thoughts and whirled around.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?!"

"My name is Rachel Alucard. I wish to speak to you, wielder of the Azure." Ragna glared at her, unsure what this twin-tailed girl in gothic clothing really wanted.

"Rachel Alucard, huh? You wanna explain why you're at the Vermillion's private graveyard?"

"I wish to talk to you, as I said. Are you deaf, or perhaps daft?" Ragna gritted his teeth.

"Like hell you do. Also, the next time you wanna talk to someone, try not insulting them."

"You're one to talk, Ragna Mutsuki." At this, Ragna grabbed the girl's dress collar and pulled her off of the ground. She frowned.

"Unhand me, fool."

"How the hell do you know my name, huh?! They only released my picture to the public, not my damn name!"

"I know many things. I know that, for example, you should unhand me, assuming you value your life."

"Nice threat, but you're just a kid. What the hell are you gonna do to me, huh?" Rachel smirked, and electricity sparked from her dress and shocked Ragna's hand. He cursed and let her go, and she fell gently to the ground, as if the wind slowed her fall.

"Goddammit! What the hell'd you just do?!"

"I preformed magic."

"Sure you did."

"You don't believe me, even after seeing the evidence for yourself? You must be truly hardheaded. I wonder, if you were to hit your head against a wall, would it hurt? Or would your thick skull protect you from pain as it does from basic logical thought?" Ragna growled.

"Down, dog," Rachel said.

"Dog? You're one to talk, rabbit," Ragna replied.

"Rabbit?"

"Yeah, rabbit. What is it you really want? If you don't give me a good answer, I'm gonna make sure you don't ever come back here again, alright?" Rachel chuckled, holding her hand to her mouth in a very dainty manner.

"What?!"

"You're an amusing young man, Ragna. Very well. I am here because I know that tough times await yourself and Noel Vermillion. I know that both of you have powers you do not fully understand, and I know that you need help to learn to use them. I can do nothing to help you, but I can make sure that you know to be careful," Rachel said calmly.

"Bullshit."

"I can prove to you that I am more than meets the eye, Ragna, if only you'll let me."

* * *

Noel knelt by her parents' grave. She looked at the fresh carving that stated their names, Edgar and Claire Vermillion. She traced her hand over the grave and lowered her head, letting the tears fall freely. She thought of all the times she'd spent with them, all the times they'd helped and comforted her, all the times they'd told her everything was going to be alright, and all the times she happily believed them. Looking at the stone that marked the spot where their remains were buried, Noel realized that she could never fully recover from their death. She had forgiven Ragna, but she hadn't gotten over the sadness that she felt when her parents died. Deep inside, she'd always be the little girl who sat in their blood and cried, holding their disembodied hands and hoping that their fingers would coil around hers as they always did when her parents were alive.

"B-Beacon's going great...I...I made some friends..." She stuttered, unsure of what to do. She wasn't sure if she should talk to the grave, but she did anyway. She wanted to believe that they'd answer her, but she knew that they wouldn't. Noel was naive, but even she knew that once someone had died, they could never be brought back.

"I showed someone a line of my poetry...they...they...really liked it..." Noel said, trying once again to speak. It was hard. She could hardly get out a sentence without bursting into tears. Wiping them away, she tried again. This time, she hardly opened her mouth before she began to cry. Once she recovered, Noel steeled herself, waiting before speaking. She wouldn't cry again. She'd show herself that she moved on, that even though her parents were gone, she still had people she loved and a life to look forward to. She smiled at the grave, her hands clutching the cloth of her trench coat like she was clutching the hands of her parents, sure to never let them go. But she had to, and she did.

"I'm on a team with Makoto, Tsubaki, and Ragna. We're doing really well. I'm getting good grades because Tsubaki is helping me, and I even did a few papers by myself. And it's all because of you. Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. I...I think it's time I moved on." Noel stood up, shaking. Even though she felt like it, Noel Vermillion did not cry. She had moved on. Now, it was Ragna's turn. She turned around, waving to the grave, and saw Ragna arguing with a strange girl. Noel ran over, surprised.

"Ragna? Who is this girl? Is she lost?" She asked, lowering herself to Rachel's eye level. Rachel glared at her.

"I am no child, Noel Vermillion." Noel stumbled back, surprised.

"H-How do you know my name?!"

"I know many things, as I've told Ragna. I am a vampire and magic user, but your friend doesn't seem to believe me."

"Can you actually prove it?" Noel asked dubiously. Ragna laughed harshly.

"She's screwing with us, Noel."

"But what if she isn't? I mean, she does seem...different from most kids." Rachel scoffed, giving Noel a glance that made the timid girl cower.

"I told you, I am not a child. I am a vampire who is over 100 years old."

"Are you serious? You sound insane," Ragna snarled.

"I can prove it to you, as I've said. Noel Vermillion, do you wish to see this proof?" Ragna tried to drag Noel away, but she didn't budge. Somehow, she had a feeling that she had to listen to Rachel.

"Okay." Rachel smiled thinly, and levitated into the air. The wind pushed her up, and she flew into the sky. Ragna and Noel gaped at her. She landed gently, creating a black portal behind the two.

"You have seen my magical prowess, so you know my ability to use magic is no lie. Now you should be apt to listen to my claims of having a vampiric heritage." Noel nodded, and Ragna just kept gaping.

"Do you wish to go to my realm, or shall I retrieve my butler to confirm my claims?" Ragna kept on gaping.

"I...I'm not sure I want to go anywhere..." Noel said. She looked anxiously at the portal as Rachel walked through it. It shrunk and vanished. Suddenly, another portal appeared. Rachel walked out of it, followed by an elderly gentleman in a tuxedo.

"Hello, Noel Vermillion," he said.

"H-Hello..."

"Yes, Madame Rachel is telling the truth. I have served her for many years," the butler informed the two friends.

"Who the hell is this geezer? Did you steal him from some retirement home or something?!" Ragna asked rudely.

"Hold your tongue, child, lest I cut it off," the butler said.

"Now now, Valkenhayn. Ragna is simply an idiot. We must be gentle with people like him."

"Alright, you condescending bitch, how about you and the old fart here get back to wherever the hell you came from? I'm pretty damn sure that it's past both your naptimes."

"Ragna, stop it! They're clearly not who they seem, so let's just hear them out!" Noel protested.

"This rabbit and her wonder butler here are really pissing me off, and I'd just like to get on with what I came here for!" Ragna snapped. Valkenhayn sighed.

"Madame Rachel, are you sure you wish to waste time with this buffoon?" He asked.

"He is the one. I shall endure his company, at least for a little longer. I wish to warn them."

"Please, remember not to exceed your boundaries, Madame Rachel, especially not for this vulgar child. He is beneath you," Valkenhayn said.

"Your head's gonna be beneath my damn sword if you don't shut up, geezer," Ragna threatened.

"You cannot harm me, boy. I suggest you remain silent, like your friend, and listen to what Madame Rachel has to say," the butler retorted. Rachel sighed.

"I wish to let you know that you are going down a dark path, both of you. But no matter what, do not falter. Do not give up. You must keep on walking and break the cycle," Rachel told them.

"What cycle?" Noel asked.

"Noel Vermillion. You do not possess Ragna's confidence or anger. You are meek, and that will not change. But you have great determination and drive when it comes to those you love, and you must harness that determination to grow stronger. You must learn to believe in yourself, to believe that you can fight alone. After all, Noel, the greatest battles we must fight must be fought alone, and you must learn to be less dependent on your friends and more confident in your ability to depend on yourself," Rachel said kindly, her usual haughty tone gone. Noel blinked.

"Did you just insult me or compliment me?" She asked. Rachel ignored her and turned to Ragna, who was seething with rage.

"Ragna Mutsuki. You have an indomitable will, a resilience that allows you to keep standing up when you fall down, no matter how far the descent. But you are also blinded by rage and the desire for revenge. You must look beyond your short sight and see what truly matters to you. Do not succumb to the beast within. And remember: the Azure is not yours, and you do not control it. Rely on it too much, and it will consume you. Instead, you should learn to rely on others as they rely on you. Your friends are strong, Ragna. Allow them to prove it," she said to the white-haired young man. While she spoke kindly to Noel, to Ragna, she spoke with something more. However, the white-haired young man didn't notice. Instead, he was angered by her words.

"What the hell, rabbit?! You brought the geezer here and made a big show with the portals and the floating just to talk shit to us?!"

"Remember Madame Rachel's words, you two. They are words of wisdom," Valkenhayn said. He walked through a portal that appeared behind them, vanishing. Rachel walked towards it as well, but stopped and turned to Ragna and Noel.

"Goodbye, and good luck." With that, she walked away. Ragna sighed.

"I'm done at my parents' grave. You can go now," Noel told him.

"After all that?"

"We have time to find out what that girl was talking about, but now is your time to...do what you want to do, I guess." Noel watched as Ragna grinned at her and walked towards the graveyard.

* * *

Ragna stood in front of the grave of Edgar and Claire Vermillion. He gently placed the flowers in front of him and sighed.

"...Sorry, I guess. Wait, what the hell am I doing?" Ragna muttered. He felt like an idiot, talking to a rock. However, he knew that Noel's parents couldn't talk to him, so he'd have to get his thoughts out in the open by himself.

"I'm so, so sorry. I...I never wanted this, and I'm sorry. Not just that I killed you two after all you did for me...but also because I left Noel alone. Good thing she's got a nice aunt and uncle, huh?" Ragna mumbled, trying not to turn red with embarrassment.

"Damn, do I feel like an idiot...well, I guess I deserve it...I'm learning to control it, by the way. The Azure. What happened to you will never, ever happen again. Also, I figured I should mention that Noel's doing great. She's adjusting to Beacon well, and she's helping me to try to do the same. She probably said all of this already, though...damn, I'm tripping over my own tongue here. Guess I just wanna apologize and, uh...well...let you know that Noel's fine. She's moving on. Not like she's forgetting you or anything, but just that she's, you know, living her life and whatever...uh...and I'm trying to follow her example. Not like you care, I'm the one who killed you. Also, you're dead, so...goddamn, I'm an asshole. Of course you're dead, I...you know what? Nevermind. Noel loves you...and I guess I do, too. I mean, you did take care of me before I was adopted by the Mutsuki's, so...yeah. Bye..." Ragna trailed off. At the beginning of his poorly worded speech, he was shaky and his fists were clenched, and even though he still spoke clumsily, he stopped shaking and clenching his fists as he spoke more. By the end of the speech, he was even smiling a bit. He turned and walked away, and as he did so, Ragna didn't look back.

* * *

**AND THAT CHAPTER IS DONE. I DON'T WANT TO SOUND ARROGANT OR ANYTHING, BUT I'M VERY PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER. I FEEL LIKE I DID A GOOD JOB OF STAYING TRUE TO NOEL AND RAGNA'S CHARACTER THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE ORDEAL, AND I ALSO THINK THAT I MADE THE GRAVEYARD SCENE VERY BITTERSWEET, AND THAT THE BUILDUP TO IT WAS WELL-DONE. HOWEVER, I'M VERY OPEN TO CRITICISM. IF ANYONE DOESN'T LIKE THE CHAPTER, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THEY THINK I DID WRONG, BECAUSE WHO KNOWS? THEY COULD VERY WELL BE RIGHT. AS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, I ACTUALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN. I WANT TO FOCUS ON HAZAMA AND ADAM, BUT I CAN'T MAKE ANY PROMISES. I THINK I'LL MOST LIKELY WAIT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF RWBY TO COME OUT BEFORE WRITING ANYTHING.**

**ALSO, WHILE WRITING THIS, I WAS LISTENING TO 'WANDERER'S LULLABY' BY ADRIANA FIGUEROA. CHECK IT OUT ON YOUTUBE, AND ALSO CHECK OUT HER CHANNEL. SHE HAS AN AMAZING VOICE! WHILE LISTENING TO IT, I REALLY GOT TO THINKING ABOUT RAGNA AND NOEL'S JOURNEY THROUGHOUT THE BLAZBLUE SAGA AND HOW THEY GREW AS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY NOEL. I ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT WEISS. THE SONG DOESN'T PARTICULARLY REMIND ME OF HER, BUT IT REMINDS ME THAT WEISS HAS A LOT OF CHARACTER LEFT TO DEVELOP. SHE'S ALREADY VERY INTERESTING AND UNIQUE ALREADY, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE! (ALSO, I WANT TO SEE BLAKE DEVELOP AS WELL. SINCE EPISODE 3, WHERE I REALLY GOT TO GET A SENSE OF WHO SHE WAS AS A PERSON, BLAKE HAS BEEN REGULATED TO A SUPPORTING ROLE IN THE SERIES, AND THAT ANNOYS ME. MORE BLAKE. MONTY! I NEED MORE BLAKE!) HONESTLY, I THINK THAT WEISS HAS ENTERED MY LIST OF TOP 10 CHARACTERS WHO REALLY NEED A HUG, NOEL HERSELF BEING NUMBER 1. **

**FINALLY, TO CONCLUDE, RWBY AND BLAZBLUE ARE WORKS OF ART AND I HOPE THEY GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE.**


	11. Makoto The Victim

Makoto sighed heavily, sitting down on the bed. She glared at the papers presented before her, not eager to do any schoolwork. She knew Tsubaki would make her, though. Preparing for the inevitable, Makoto cleared a space at her desk and sat down, waiting for her friend to enter. It didn't take long for her to hear the sound of Tsubaki's footsteps echo through the halls as she walked to her dorm. The readhead walked and and smiled. Makoto knew what was coming. Tsubaki walked over to her friend and leaned over her paper.

"Alright, you understand the basic concept, don't you? I'm not going to just hand you the answers, you need to know what you're doing." Makoto grumbled at this.

"Whatever, Tsubaki," she muttered. At this, Tsubaki looked concerned.

"Makoto, you're not usually like this. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong. I don't want to do this stupid schoolwork."

"Makoto, that's not the real problem here and you know it," Tsubaki admonished. Makoto did know it, but she insisted on making things difficult for her friend.

"Don't psycho-analyze me, Tsubaki. Go play with Weiss or something."

"Makoto, either you tell me what's wrong or I'm going to get the nurse, because this isn't normal behavior for you." Makoto laughed a harsh laugh. Tsubaki winced at the cruelty in her voice.

"Typical Tsubaki, always blindly running to the people in charge like the suck-up you are. Haven't you considered that they're the problem?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Makoto! What problem is this?!" Tsubaki shouted angrily.

"You know damn well what the problem is!" The fauna snapped.

"No I don't, but if you tell me, than maybe I can do something about it," Tsubaki replied, calming herself down.

"It's the problem that's been with me ever since I was born!" Makoto screamed. By now, she had gotten out of the chair and stood close to Tsubaki, giving the redhead a withering gaze. Tsubaki then realized what this was about.

"Are people harassing you?" She asked kindly, reaching out her hand hold hold onto Makoto's. The fauna pulled her hand away.

"Yeah, yeah they are."

"Why don't you tell a professor?"

"Because I don't wanna make a big scene, okay? That'll just draw more attention to me, and I've had enough attention for one day, trust me." Makoto snarled, turning away from her friend.

"So this started recently?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yeah."

"Is it because Ragna's not around?" The redhead asked, her guess hitting the jackpot. Ragna was an intimidating figure. Knowing that they could make him angry, people kept their distance from Makoto, not wanting to risk the injuries the white-haired young man would surely inflict. His absence brought numerous racists out of the woodwork.

"...Maybe it is. But I don't need him, okay? I can fight my own battles."

"But you're not. You're letting them hurt you."

"What else can I do, huh? I can't talk back or throw a punch, that'll just get me into more trouble. I could tell a professor, but they can't stop this." Tsubaki looked down, her expression turning into a snarl.

"And you're complaining now? You're better than that, Makoto. You knew what would happen if you went to Beacon."

"Look, just let me throw my hissy fit and I'll be all better, okay?" The fauna asked dejectedly.

"Makoto, you have to tell a professor."

"Oh, shut up. I told you, they can't do anything."

"You can't know that until you try."

"Believe me, I know," Makoto said darkly. Tsubaki went to comfort her friend, but was rebuked yet again.

"All you tell me to do is talk to a professor, as if they have the magical ability to make racism go away. They don't, Tsubaki. You can't solve everything with your rules and regulations," the fauna said, leaving the dorm. Tsubaki considered going after her, but didn't. She knew that following Makoto would only result in more arguing. But she felt so bad for her. Makoto had grown up in a world where the law wasn't on her side. Things weren't as bad as they used to be, but racism was still very much alive and, in some areas, thriving. She couldn't blame Makoto for not trusting authority, but she knew it would be better to talk to a professor than to do nothing. But something else also stirred in her mind. She was irritated at Makoto's words. Tsubaki wasn't blind. She knew what she was doing, and she knew that her weapon didn't cause blindness. That was a myth that had been spread through her family for generations. Tsubaki knew that Izayoi was a weapon. Nothing more, and nothing less.

* * *

Makoto stormed out onto one of the balconies, fuming. She slammed her hand into the metal bar surrounding the edge of the balcony and gripped it tight. She felt it shudder and crunch within her grasp. That was when she noticed a stocky man with a bushy mustache standing beside her.

"What seems to be that matter, Makoto?" He asked. The fauna glared at him.

"Go away."

"The last time I checked, this balcony is not the property of Makoto Nanaya. I have every right to be here."

"I'm having a tantrum, here. You really wanna be around for that?"

"More than that, I believe I can put a stop to it. Dear girl, confess to me your strife!" Despite herself, Makoto laughed at Peter Port's exuberance.

"Fine...I'm a bit, well...I'm a fauna, and, well, you know what happens to fauna..." She said, not eager to discuss her problem. Professor Port laughed.

"My dear, you shouldn't let such things get you down! You are a remarkable person with one of the highest recommendations I have ever seen! You were accepted at Beacon solely for your physical prowess! You live with yourself every day of your life. You know how you think and what you feel, while your tormentors only see a tail and ears. They know nothing about you, and so their words mean nothing," he said sagely. Makoto looked at him with admiration. She'd never received this kind of advice before. People had told her to ignore racists and their jeers. No one had bothered to tell her why.

"...It just wears me down, you know? Get told something long enough and you start to believe it. Maybe...maybe I let them get to me more than I thought," she said sadly. Professor Port sighed.

"Do you want me to do something about it per school protocol, or do you want me to employ a Peter Port solution?" He asked. At this, Makoto was intrigued. She didn't want him to do anything professor-like, such as give detention and whatnot, but she was interested in knowing what his plan was for helping her feel better.

"I'd like the Peter Port solution, please," Makoto said, smiling widely. The professor smiled back.

"Follow me to my classroom. I have something planned for you that is guaranteed to work!"

* * *

Makoto eagerly scurried after professor Port, who led her to his large classroom. She saw the familiar cage that was home to many a Boarbatusk. When a growling noise emanated from behind the bars, she knew he'd restocked.

"Is your plan to make me fight the Boarbatusk?" Makoto asked. Professor Port nodded.

"Very perceptive! In cases like this, blowing off steam is the best option. Now, after my daily Edgar-ah, I mean Boarbatusk-hunt, I have found an ample amount. Since you are in need of assistance, and are one of my favorite students to boot, I shall allow you to release some anger upon Edgar 157!" Makoto chuckled at the name.

"What's with this Edgar stuff?" Professor Port chuckled nervously.

"Nothing you need to worry about, heh heh heh...Anyhow, it is time for you to face your opponent! Fight with valiance, Makoto Nanaya!" The Boarbatusk charged as professor Port used his weapon to slash the chains binding the door to the cage. It howled a deadly howl, but professor Port had told her what to do, and she also knew from Weiss' experience. However, unlike Weiss, she fought with brawn. Makoto did the standard hop to the side to charge the Grimm, which wasn't capable of deviating from its path when it reached a certain speed, but in a surprisingly aggressive move, grabbed it by the tusks. She spun it around wildly before slamming it into the ground. The impact was so strong that it bounced into the air, and Makoto sprang up to meet it, punching the Grimm back into the ground. She kicked it away and let it recover. Beating up Edgar 157 was proving to be very therapeutic. Makoto did a silly taunt, sticking out her tongue and pulling both sides of her mouth apart from each other. Edgar 157, apparently, didn't like that. The Grimm rolled into a ball and stormed towards the headstrong fauna, who simply held out her hand. The beast didn't even move her an inch. She smiled arrogantly as it struggled in vain to push her back. With an angry shout, Makoto pushed it back instead, grunting with the effort that it took. Professor Port looked on in awe. Very few, himself included among those few, could preform such a feat at such a young age. Makoto then began to run, sprinting towards the wall. The Grimm whimpered as Makoto pushed it back. Soon, its body collided with the wall. It fell out of its spin and lay panting on the ground. Makoto then brought her foot into the air and stomped the beast out of its misery.

"How was that?" She asked, turning around. Professor Port clapped.

"Bravo, bravo! That was quite impressive! It reminds me of when I was younger, the sweat pouring from my head, dripping onto my mustache...I remember those days well," he said fondly.

"Onto your mustache?" Makoto muttered to herself, still smiling. Then, professor Port did something surprising. He pulled, from behind his back, an ice cream cone. It was as brown as Makoto's tail.

"Here. It's chestnut flavor," he said. She took it gratefully.

"Chestnut flavor? Really?!" She exclaimed.

"Indeed it is. I made it myself," professor Port said proudly.

"Hunter, ice cream maker...you really are a renaissance man, huh?" Makoto asked, impressed.

"Of course!" Was the proud reply. Makoto licked the cone. It tasted like roasted chestnuts. Peter Port knew how to make ice cream. As she took her second lick, she began to feel herself cry. She blinked in surprise, and a tear fell to the ground.

"Huh?" She murmured. Professor Port looked on kindly.

"Those, my dear girl, are tears of happiness. Treasure them," he said. Makoto looked at the portly professor and, cone still in hand, gave him a big bear hug. He didn't even flinch.

"Thank you so much! I...I feel so much better!" She gushed.

"No worries. It's my job as a professor. I think what you needed wasn't to blow off steam after all...I think, what you truly wanted, was for someone to accept you for who you are. But you didn't need me for that. You have friends, right?" Professor Port asked her. Makoto then realized that she had left Tsubaki behind, lonely and hurt.

"Oh no oh no oh no! I totally have to apologize to Tsubaki! I'm really sorry, but I have to go!" Makoto threw the ice cream cone into her mouth without missing a beat, and ran off to find her friend.

"Such a splendid young lady. It seems that the quality of Beacon's students is getting finer every year," professor Port reminisced.

* * *

Makoto ran to Tsubaki, who was doing her schoolwork. She burst through the door and gave her friend a big hug.

"I'm so, so sorry! I said some really mean things and I didn't mean them! You were right, Tsubaki. I should have talked to a professor, and I did. Professor Port really helped me out, so I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said all of those things and it was really stupid and childish of me to snap at you like that and I-" Tsubaki turned around, returning Makoto's hug. She then put a finger to her lips.

"You don't have to apologize. I understand that life is hard for you, as a fauna. Just know that you have myself, Noel, Ragna, and everyone else...but I'm glad professor Port as able to help," Tsubaki said. Makoto grinned widely.

"You are so cool, Tsubaki!" The redhead chuckled.

"That's a bit much. Now, how about that schoolwork?" Makoto sighed.

"Forget what I said about you being cool. Let's get this over with," the fauna muttered flashing Tsubaki a brilliant smile.

* * *

"Rachel Alucard made contact with Ragna Mutsuki and Noel Vermillion, Hazama," a man with blonde hair and a flamboyant purple cloak said in a deep, commanding voice. The green-haired, fedora wearing sadist glanced at his partner.

"Really? The shitty vampire made her move?" Hazama asked, sounding bored.

"Indeed she did. As an observer, she didn't say much, although she did use the word 'cycle.' However, this doesn't violate her contract and she is still an Observer, so don't get any ideas and attack her," the man replied.

"Well, Relius, that's just great. You wanna give me any other good news?"

"Of course not. I'd hate to interrupt you any further," Relius replied coyly.

"Whatever. Hey, I noticed that a shard of the Azure is, uh, missing. You have any idea where it went?" Hazama asked.

"A shard of the Azure, missing? This is quite the development. It seems I now have yet another task. If you'll excuse me," Relius said. Hazama quickly got up.

"Hold the phone there, buddy. You know how I asked you to work on the Yukianesa effect? Well, I really want that worked on pronto. I heard it's only in liquid form now, and I want it as a gas. Also, I want it to be more effective. Bluntly, I'm telling you to forget the shard of the Azure and go do science. I'll get Torchwick and Crimson to look for the shard," he said. Relius grinned.

"But of course, Hazama. I'll get right on that." With that, he walked away. Hazama glanced at the papers he was looking at and sighed.

"Noel Vermillion had better pay off..."

* * *

**AND ANOTHER CHAPTER FINISHED. I UPHELD A LOT OF PROMISES THIS CHAPTER. I INCLUDED A SMALL BIT OF HAZAMA, GAVE PETER PORT A CHANCE TO DISPLAY HIS WISDOM TO MAKE UP FOR TSUBAKI INTERRUPTING THE CANON FLOW OF THE SHOW, AND THAT'S REALLY IT, ACTUALLY. I ALSO HAVE A BLATANTLY OBVIOUS ACHIEVEMENT HUNTER REFERENCE. I FEEL BAD FOR ALL THOSE EDGARS. NOW I HAVE TO MAKE A REFERENCE TO MY FAVORITE ACHIEVEMENT HUNTER, GAVIN. I'M LEANING TOWARDS REFERENCING MARK NUTT, BUT I'M OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. IF ANYONE HAS AN IDEA OF HOW TO INCORPORATE A GAVIN REFERENCE INTO MY NEXT CHAPTER, PLEASE TELL ME AND I'LL BE SURE TO USE THE ONE I LIKE BEST. BONUS POINTS IF ITS A REFERENCE TO GAVIN'S TROPHY ROOM OF VICTORY IN HIS HOUSE OF ART AND DREAMS. AH, GAVIN, YOU ARE AWESOME.**** ANYWAY, THE NEXT CHAPTER, ASIDE FROM A POSSIBLE GAVIN FREE REFERENCE, IS GOING TO CONTAIN THE RETURN OF RAGNA AND NOEL AND SOME MORE FOCUS ON TEAM JNPR. ALSO, OTHER ACHIEVEMENT HUNTER REFERENCE IDEAS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME.  
**

**I WATCHED EPISODE 12 OF RWBY, AND FOUND MYSELF IMPRESSED AS ALWAYS. I KNEW THAT JAUNE MOST LIKELY DIDN'T GET INTO BEACON ON HIS OWN MERIT, BUT I HAD NO IDEA HE'D GO AS FAR AS HE DID. I DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD IT IN HIM (NOTICE HOW I AVOIDED SPOILERS. I CAN BE NICE WHEN I WANT TO). THINGS ARE LOOKING VERY, VERY BAD FOR OUR BLONDE LEADING MAN. SPEAKING OF JAUNE, I THINK HE'S NOW THE MOST RELATABLE CHARACTER IN THE SHOW, AT LEAST FOR ME. I CAN UNDERSTAND HIS LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE AND DESIRE TO SOLVE HIS PROBLEMS BY HIMSELF. HIS AND PYRRHA'S DYNAMIC IS REMINDING ME A BIT OF EREN AND MIKASA FROM ATTACK ON TITAN. I SAY THIS BECAUSE PYRRHA, LIKE MIKASA, IS DOTING UPON JAUNE, WHO, LIKE EREN, IS ACTING LIKE A DICK AND NOT ACCEPTING HER HELP (ALTHOUGH I WILL ADMIT THAT MIKASA IS OVERPROTECTIVE SOMETIMES). AND I ALSO LIKE BLAKE'S SHINING MOMENT. WHILE SHE HAD MAINLY BEEN SITTING ON THE SIDELINES THESE PAST FEW EPISODES, THE BLAKE I KNOW AND LOVE FROM EPISODE 3 MADE HER RETURN WITH THAT SCATHING INSULT TO CARDIN. I'M NOT SAYING THAT I HAVEN'T LIKED BLAKE THESE PAST FEW EPISODES, I DID. I FEEL LIKE WE'VE SEEN BLAKE'S MELLOW SIDE THESE PAST FEW EPISODES, AS SHE'S BEEN CONTENT TO GO WITH THE FLOW OF HER TEAM AND AND KEEP HER HEAD DOWN. ALSO, I FOUND IT ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE HOW SHE CHEERED ON WEISS. BUT IN EPISODE 12, SHE SIMPLY COULDN'T TAKE CARDIN'S RACISM WITHOUT SHOOTING BACK A WITTY REPLY. BLAKE IS PROVING TO BE A VERY INTERESTING CHARACTER, AND SHE HASN'T EVEN GOTTEN THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WEISS, MY FAVORITE RWBY CHARACTER (AS I'VE MENTIONED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS) HAS BEEN TREATED TO. BLAKE IS DEFINITELY MY SECOND FAVORITE RWBY CHARACTER, OR PERHAPS IS A CANDIDATE TO TAKE WEISS' SPOT AS NUMBER 1. ODDLY ENOUGH, EVEN WITH ALL THE GREAT CHARACTERS BEING INTRODUCED AND FLESHED OUT, I STILL THINK ADAM IS MY THIRD FAVORITE. WHAT CAN I SAY? I LIKE SEXY MEN OF MYSTERY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY LAUGH LIKE PSYCHOPATHS AND LET THEIR PARTNERS RUN OFF AND RESPECT THEIR LIFE CHOICES LIKE A BADASS. WELL, IT'S EITHER HIM OR YANG, BUT WHATEVER. **

**I KNOW I HAVE A LOT OF AUTHOR'S NOTES, BUT I JUST HAVE A LOT TO GET OFF MY CHEST, AND THIS IS THE LAST THING. WHY EXACTLY HAS LIE REN, MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MEMBER OF JNPR, NOT GOTTEN ANY SPOTLIGHT? WHAT, HE GETS A FIGHT IN EPISODE 6 AND THEN HE SIMPLY EXISTS TO ACT AS THE STRAIGHT MAN FOR NORA? NO WAY. NO GODDAMN WAY. GET THE AWESOME HYPERACTIVE HAMMER-SWINGING MANIAC OUT OF THE PICTURE, I WANT TO SEE WHO REN REALLY IS. HE ISN'T JUST 'THAT GUY WHO HANGS OUT WITH NORA.' REN IS BEING DRAGGED DOWN BY HIS ROLE AS THE GUY KEEPING NORA IN CHECK. HE NEEDS SOME CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. WHO'S WITH ME?!**


	12. The Return And The Problem

Rachel Alucard was distressed by her meeting with Noel Vermillion. It hadn't gone the way she envisioned it. She'd heard from Valkenhayn that Noel could potentially be a great asset, but how that could be she had no idea. Rachel sat and drank her tea, rose petals fluttering in the winds that she conjured out of annoyance. Noel Vermillion had been a disappointment.

"Madame Rachel, I know you trust Ragna to fulfill his role, but what of Noel? I did quite a bit of work finding out about her, and I'd be interested to know what you think, if I'm not being too impertinent," Valkenhayn said, bringing Rachel more tea. She gladly accepted it and sighed.

"I appreciate your efforts, but I am not impressed with the girl. As the wielder of the true Azure, Noel Vermillion has fallen short of my expectations. I know what I said to her back at the cemetery, but that was merely a feeble attempt to boost her confidence. It was not praise," she said bluntly. Valkenhayn nodded.

"I expected as much. May I ask why?"

"You may. My reasoning is this: Ragna, for all his faults, has strength. He does not lay down when he is beaten, he does not follow the rules pushed upon him by others. He knows no order but his own, no master but himself. His life is in his hands and his alone, and what he does is solely up to him and how he uses his strength. Noel Vermillion, on the other hand, is a pathetic weakling. She cannot act on her own will, as her will itself is too fragile. She has no purpose save for the purpose she is given. She follows her friends like a stray dog, doing only what they say in hope that she will be praised. She wants to be loved by others so that she can love herself. Her self-esteem is practically nonexistent, and she cannot find meaning in her life and herself. Instead, she relies on others to present that meaning to her. I do not believe that she has what it takes to break the cycle. Noel Vermillion is weak," Rachel said. Her speech was lengthy, but she wasn't out of breath. She looked at Valkenhayn calmly, waiting for his reaction.

"You may very well be right. Perhaps I have made a grave mistake in assuming that Noel Vermillion has what it takes to fulfill the position I have planned for her. However, I see in her a strength that she herself does not fully realize. Please allow her a chance, if I can be so rude as to ask you such a thing," was the response. Valkenhayn bowed low to the ground. It was now his turn to wait for a reaction. He got one.

"...Very well. I would be callous to refuse you, the man who has served my family for over 100 years. I will allow Noel Vermillion a chance to change my mind." Valkenhayn smiled.

"You will not be dissapointed, Madame Rachel." The vampire smiled and sipped her tea as Valkenhayn left. He felt truly blessed to serve not one, but two noble members of the Alucard bloodline.

* * *

"Noel and Ragna are coming back today...what say we throw a party?" Makoto asked, walking through Beacon's large but empty halls. It was after school hours and people were enjoying their freedom. However, Makoto and Tsubaki had their friends to tend to.

"I don't think they'd like that...I remember how Ragna almost destroyed his house when we threw that surprise party. He doesn't like surprises," Tsubaki told her friend. Makoto sighed and pouted, making a pleading face. It didn't work.

"Come on! If Noel made that face you'd be powerless," the fauna muttered. Tsubaki turned slightly red. She wouldn't deny her friend's accusation.

"Anyway, I wonder how things worked out. I hope that Ragna's learned to control himself, although I expect no changes that are too drastic," she said.

"You're taking this way too seriously, Tsubaki. No changes that are too drastic? They didn't have some life-changing epiphany or anything. They were just confronting their past. Let's just be glad they're back and worry about the rest later. Now, changing the subject, did you write down the classes so that they can be up to speed?" Makoto asked. Tsubaki sighed.

"Yes, but I would have appreciated your help in that endeavor, Makoto."

"You know my handwriting's practically unreadable!"

"Then use your phone."

"Yeah, use my phone in class. What, do you want me suspended?"

"Now it's my turn to say that you're taking this way too seriously."

"Hey, I took the rap for Ragna's temper tantrum. I'm treading on thin ice."

"Luckily for you, you're light on your feet."

"That I am," Makoto said mischievously.

* * *

The ship landed softly on Beacon's port, touching down in a gust of wind. The hum of the engine had put Ragna and Noel to sleep, the white-haired young man being the first to wake up as they landed and the hum stopped. He looked out the window and stared at the familiar, towering castle which was Beacon Academy. He shook Noel awake and she shot up, wiping drool from her mouth and looking embarrassed.

"I was drooling in my sleep again..." She sighed.

"And it was disgusting," Ragna said absentmindedly. She smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Did you really have to say that?" Noel moaned, rubbing her hands on her black coat. Ragna chuckled and walked out of the ship and into the crisp, cold air. It was getting dark; the sky was red and he could see the black seep in as the sun set. He rubbed his hands together and began to walk, followed by a shivering Noel, who held her arms close to her chest and hurried after her friend.

"Where are they?" Ragna muttered, Makoto and Tsubaki weren't around to greet them as they expected. Ragna and Noel were sure that Makoto would hurry over, even if Tsubaki was patient. They waited around the entrance to Beacon for a few seconds before spotting some red hair peek out in the distance.

"Tsubaki!" Noel shouted with glee. However, it was Pyrrha that stepped out.

"Hello! I'm sorry to disappoint you, it's only me. Tsubaki and Makoto should be here soon, though." Pyrrha was followed by Nora and Ren, the former of whom ran to embrace Noel in a hug that felt like it would shatter the blonde girl's ribs.

"Gah...ack...get off...please..." Noel gasped.

"No way! Hugs for everyone!" Nora sprinted to Ragna, who looked absolutely terrified.

"And I thought the damn Ursa was bad! What...what is it with you and breaking my bones?!" He cried out as she hugged him. Ren ran over to pry her off of Ragna, but then found himself being crushed as well.

"Nice...to see you again...help..." Ren muttered. Ragna and Noel got Nora off and she grinned like nothing had happened. By this time, Pyrrha had walked over, followed by Jaune.

"Hey. It's good to have you back! So, uh...stuff happened while you were gone...I have to do extra homework, and Nora may or may not have destroyed your and Weiss' lockers while playing with her hammer. It's been...exciting," Jaune said kindly, filling Ragna and Noel in as a way of saying hello. They sighed.

"Nora..." Ragna growled angrily. The carefree girl ignored him and played with the purple streak in Ren's hair.

"How was your trip? Did you...sort things out?" Pyrrha asked. Noel and Ragna grinned and stepped closer to team JNPR.

"Yeah, we did. We also met this strange little girl who claimed to be a vampire. Do you know a Rachel Alucard, by any chance?" Noel asked. The members of team JNPR shook their heads, and Ragna sighed,

"Why the hell would you think they'd know? Besides, do you actually wanna meet that rabbit bitch again?" He asked.

"...I'd like to know what she meant by some of her words..." Noel mused. In the distance, a voice interrupted her from her thoughts.

"Noellie! Ragna!" Makoto shouted. Pyrrha grinned.

"And now for the main attraction," she said. Noel blushed.

"W-We're really happy you came to greet us, too! It means a lot that you'd do that..." She said.

"No thanks needed. Makoto and Tsubaki brought us along," Jaune told her.

"Even so...thank you." The blonde boy grinned at her words.

"Anyway...should we leave?" Ren asked.

"No, you can stay. It's no trouble at all," Noel said. Ragna nodded. However, he didn't have time to do much else, as Makoto gave him a hug that almost rivaled the strength of Nora's.

"Goddammit! Ow ow ow! Shit!" Ragna cursed some more before Makoto sheepishly let him go.

"Sorry, but it's just been kind of...lonely, I guess, without you two around," she said. Tsubaki, meanwhile, gave Noel a much gentler embrace.

"I'm so glad to see you. How was...how was your trip?" She asked. Noel beamed.

"Great! I think we made got a lot done," she replied. Tsubaki gave her friend a warm smile.

"That's great." Tsubaki was about to say more to Noel, but Makoto interrupted her with another bear hug. Noel gagged, and Tsubaki walked over to Ragna.

"Do you...want a hug? Or have you had enough hugs for one day?" She asked.

"...Whatever. It's not like shaking hands feels right," Ragna replied. He and Tsubaki then embraced, a much gentler embrace than the one Makoto was giving Noel.

"I missed you so much, Noellie! There was a student who brought in his pet panda for a day, and you totally missed it! It was so cute!" She said. Noel's eyes widened and she began to feel tears well in her eyes.

"I...I missed the panda? I missed the panda?!" She cried out.

"Hey, Noel, now's not the time to cry! Snap out of it!" Makoto tried to wipe away her friend's tears, as she was too late to stop them.

"Panda..."

"I took pictures, Noel!"

"Really?!"

"Of course!" Jaune smiled and walked away as the four friends rejoiced. Pyrrha looked at him walk away and furrowed her brow in concern.

"Do you want this to be a team talk?" Ren asked as the redhead walked after Jaune.

"...No thank you," she said, continuing her walk. Ren sighed.

"Those two are totally in lo-oooove!" Nora exclaimed.

"Nora, don't follow them," Ren told her.

* * *

Jaune leaned against the wall outside his room. Seeing Ragna and Noel had given his spirits a boost, but he was still down. He'd told Pyrrha everything. He told her how he lied his way into Beacon and how he wanted nothing more than to be a hero, just like his father and grandfather before him. He told her how he never had any formal training or took any tests. He was just way, way, way over his head and he had no idea how to fix his problems. To make things worse, Cardin had overheard. As if he didn't get enough trouble from team CRDL. Jaune continued to think and get depressed, unable to bring himself to sleep. The guilt and fear and longing kept eating at him. He was guilty about how he treated Pyrrha, who was only trying to help, he was afraid of what he'd have to do to appease Cardin and keep his secret safe, and he was longing to get out of the situation, longing to skip to being a hero without the little things in between.

"Hey, Jaune. You alright?" Ragna asked. The white-haired young man was walking past when he noticed Jaune looking dejected when he should be sleeping. Jaune wanted to confide him badly, but knew that Ragna wasn't the best confidant, nor was Jaune himself ready to spill his secrets to anyone else today.

"I'm fine. You should get some sleep."

"Yeah, well so should you." There was an awkward pause before Ragna spoke again, trying to think of what to say.

"If you don't wanna talk to me, then at least talk to Pyrrha," he said, trying to sound comforting. Ragna didn't know why he was doing it or what Jaune would say in return. He just felt like he had to say something. Jaune was his friend, after all, and something about him reminded Ragna of another friend he wanted to help. It wasn't just his looks, but also his weakness and awkwardness at being thrust into a position he didn't think he was well-suited for. Ragna felt the same protectiveness for Jaune that he felt for Noel.

"I did," Jaune replied.

"And?"

"It didn't help. You know, I liked it better when you weren't trying to be the nice guy."

"Jeez, sorry I said anything. Whatever stick you crammed up your ass...you'd better get it out. You've got a team to lead." As Ragna spoke, he walked away to leave Jaune to his thoughts, not eager to be chewed out by him again. Jaune, for his part, looked after Ragna and sighed.

"And that's another person I snapped at..." He groaned.

* * *

**ASTRAL FINISHED! GET IT? BECAUSE I FINISHED THE CHAPTER AND THIS IS A BLAZBLUE STORY? YEAH, I'M A MORON. ANYWAY, JAUNE HAS ONLY IMPROVED AS A CHARACTER SINCE THE NEWEST EPISODE, ALTHOUGH I REALLY WANT THE STORY TO FOCUS MORE ON TEAM RWBY, ESPECIALLY THE B PART. WHY MUST BLAKE TAUNT ME WITH HER AWESOMENESS? AS I WAS SAYING, I'M A BIT CONFUSED AS TO HOW I SHOULD HAVE JAUNE'S ISSUES EFFECT THE FOUR MAIN PROTAGONISTS OF MY STORY WHILE STILL PUTTING FOCUS ON TEAM RWBY. NEXT CHAPTER, I'M THINKING OF GIVING PYRRHA AND BLAKE A NICE MOMENT TOGETHER, NOT INVOLVING ANY BLAZBLUE CHARACTERS IN A SCENE FOR THE FIRST AND ONE OF THE ONLY TIMES...AND MAYBE HAVE ANOTHER SCENE WITH HAZAMA OR SOMETHING. ALSO, ANY SUGGESTIONS AND REVIEWS AS TO HOW I SHOULD HANDLE JAUNE'S SITUATION ARE WELCOME!**

**ALSO ALSO, I DISCOVERED SOMETHING ABOUT RWBY THAT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY. I FORGET WHERE I RED THIS (ANOTHER PUN BECAUSE RUBY'S MAIN COLOR IS RED AND THIS IS A RWBY STORY OF WHICH RUBY IS THE MAIN CHARACTER. I'M NO BARBARA PUNKELMAN, BUT WHATEVER.), BUT I LEARNED THAT THE FIRST SIXTEEN EPISODES OF RWBY ARE ONLY THE FIRST PART OF SEASON 1 AND THAT THERE WILL ONLY BE A TWO WEEK HIATUS BEFORE THE SECOND PART OF SEASON 1, CONSISTING OF SIXTEEN MORE EPISODES, AIRS. I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK IREMEMBER READING IT SOMEWHERE AND I HOPE BEYOND HOPE THAT IT'S TRUE! GO ROOSTERTEETH! REPRESENT TEAM RWBY!**

**ALSO, NO GAVIN FREE REFREENCE (ANOTHER PUN! I'M A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING.) THIS CHAPTER. I FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT.**


	13. Unlucky Day

Pyrrha stared wistfully at Jaune. He was bringing Cardin and the rest of team CRDL a huge platter of dessert, smiling awkwardly. Cardin slapped him on the back and the poor boy fell headfirst into the food.

"Whoops. Get me some more, Jaunny boy. After all, that's what friends are for, right?" He asked patronizingly. Pyrrha bit her lip as Jaune nodded.

"Sure thing, Cardin..." He said, his smile growing even more awkward as he wiped food from his eyes. Next to Pyrrha, Weiss sighed and tossed back her hair.

"Shameful. I know that Jaune's a passive person, but Cardin's treating him like a dog. Why won't he do anything?" She wondered. Pyrrha looked down.

"Well, Weiss, maybe he's actually considerate of people's feelings, a quality you seem to lack," she muttered.

"Excuse me?!" Weiss leaned back, her eyes wide. She didn't expect Pyrrha to snap like this.

"I know you're mad, but don't take your anger out on me. Confront Cardin if you're this angry," she told Pyrrha.

"Jaune has to solve this himself. I've helped him too much already. He's losing confidence fast," was the reply. Weiss sighed again, massaging her temples.

"I still have no idea what Ozpin was thinking, appointing him leader. You should have easily taken the spot."

"Don't even start, Weiss. I'm sorry I snapped, but Jaune was chosen for a reason."

"A reason I have yet to understand. If you'll excuse me," Weiss said. She picked up her lunch tray and walked off haughtily, her skirt moving with her hips. She certainly portrayed her arrogance without shame. Pyrrha picked at her food, realizing how little she wanted to be alone. At least Weiss allowed her to vent, if nothing else. However, she wasn't alone. Next to her, Blake was reading a small black book. She hadn't even touched her food. Pyrrha jumped up, startled. She had no idea the black-haired girl was there, and she had even less of an idea how Blake had managed to conceal her presence so well.

"Oh, Blake! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Pyrrha said guiltily.

"Hm." Was the reply.

"Blake?"

"Yes?" Blake looked up from her book.

"Can you...help me?" Pyrrha asked, glancing quickly at Jaune, who was bringing Cardin more food. He still had dessert all over his face.

"With Jaune?" Blake asked.

"Yes. I'm glad you understand." Blake reluctantly put down her book and looked intently at Cardin.

"What kind of help do you need? Do you want emotional support, or do you want me to help in a more active sense?" She asked.

"...I suppose both would be nice. I just don't know what to do. Jaune, our team leader, no less, is more distant than ever! He spends almost all of his time with Cardin and his band of fellow jerks, and Nora and Ren are really losing faith in him. Even I'm not sure how much longer I can give him my support. I...I know Jaune is a great leader. He just needs to know it himself, and I don't know how to tell him in a way that will increase his confidence and allow him to stand up to Cardin. I'm...I'm really confused," Pyrrha replied. Blake turned from Cardin after a few seconds.

"Jaune needs help. Never forget that. You talk about allowing him to take care of his problems himself, but he can't. He need something more, something to boost his confidence. He can take care of the rest on his own, you just need to give him the drive to do so. You're so confused because you're thinking about what Jaune wants, which is to fight his own battles out of some misplaced sense of pride. You have to think about what Jaune needs: help. Deep down, he knows he needs help, and the best way to get him to grow in both confidence and maturity is to show that other people think he has. Not is capable of having, has. He needs to know that he's gotten better since day one of Beacon. Nora and Ren, as you say, are losing faith in Jaune. You need to make him believe that isn't the case," Blake said calmly. Pyrrha had never heard her say so much in one sitting, nor had she fully understood Blake's wisdom until now. She'd always thought of Blake as an outside observer, but just now realized that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Objective observance allowed her to see things most people would miss.

"Blake...thank you. Things have been difficult for team Juniper, but I think we can work past this. I know we have a field trip coming up. Maybe that will give our team a chance to relax and regain our bearings."

"Maybe," Blake said mysteriously, leaving the table with her book in one hand and her tray in another.

"She's pretty mysterious, huh?" Makoto asked, coming up to Pyrrha out of sheer boredom.

"Indeed. If I might ask...where did you come from, Makoto?" The faunus grinned sheepishly.

"I was eavesdropping."

"You were?"

"I get bored easily." Pyrrha chuckled.

"I don't mind," she said. Makoto glared at Cardin wistfully. Jaune was now carrying the absurd amount of trays team CRDL had amassed, unable to see where he was going. He wandered into Russel Thrush, who pushed him into the table. The poor boy barely managed to retain his hold on the trays.

"Are you sure you don't want his legs broken?"

* * *

Jaune sighed as he trailed behind Cardin. The two boys walked down the long, winding hall. Jaune had done some last-minute research on the history paper he was to write for Cardin, which basically meant copying as much from as many books as he could while Cardin hit on passing girls and jeered at him to work faster. As Jaune walked, he traced his hand over the hilt of his sword. He had wanted to be a hero. He was, instead, a slave to his own foolishness and the whims of a bully. The only thing he was thankful for was that his family couldn't see him now.

"Watch it, wallflower," Cardin snarled. Jaune looked up and saw that Noel had walked into Cardin, going the wrong way to class.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" She bowed, and Cardin poked the top of her head. Noel found herself falling to the ground. A shrill squeak acted as the prequel to a loud crash, and her books fell on the floor with her.

"Ow..." She sighed.

"You've gotta stop being so clumsy. You could really get hurt, Noel," Cardin said mockingly. He beckoned Jaune to follow him, and the blonde boy did. However, he paused as Noel tried picking up her books.

"Let me help." Jaune bent down and helped Noel retrieve her supplies. She looked up and beamed in thanks. Jaune had tried being aggressive towards many girls (that strategy often failed), but Noel made him feel at ease, as if he didn't have to pretend to be a tough guy. She made him feel like he could be himself. In fact, she made him feel like he wanted to be himself. Her grin made his frown lighten up.

"Thank you!" She said.

"Oh, it's nothing. By the way, you're going the wrong way. Follow me, I know where class is," Jaune said hurriedly. Noel turned red and sighed with embarrassment, but regained her composure as she got up.

"Shouldn't you hurry up? You don't want to leave Cardin behind," she said. Jaune sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Right..." He muttered.

"Uh, if you don't mind me saying...it's great that you and Cardin are friends. He's so hard to get to know, but you two seem to have hit it off. That takes real talent!" Noel complimented. Jaune looked back at her, almost laughing. Instead, he smiled falsely.

"Thanks," he replied halfheartedly. How could she be so naive? Jaune had met innocent people before, but no one like Noel. He thought of how easy it would be to take advantage of her kindness, and he felt himself grow angry. He felt, for that brief moment, like a hero from a story who was protecting a hapless civilian from a tyrannical noble. However, the feeling faded. Jaune was no hero, and Noel was no civilian. He'd seen her beat too many opponents during training to have that misconception.

"Come on, Jaunny boy! You don't have a chance with her," Cardin said. Jaune chuckled without humor and followed his false friend.

"Coming, Cardin."

* * *

"So, Tager...are we friends?" The orange-haired girl asked. Iron Tager shifted his glasses on his face and sighed.

"What would make us friends, I wonder? As far as I know, we're mere work associates, nothing more," he replied. The girl was hopping around the massive man like a rabbit, and she did in fact look like a rabbit in comparison to him, as he dwarfed her by at least three feet.

"Hm...well, according to this thing called 'manga' that I read once, friends share food and talk and laugh and tell each other that they're friends. Well...one out of four isn't bad!"

"Which one would that be?" Tager asked the girl.

"...The laughing one." She replied after some thought.

"You've never made me laugh, Penny," Tager told her.

"What about the time you chuckled after I fell on Professor Kokonoe's candy bowl and she yelled at me and gave me a new upgrade?" Tager grinned slightly. As annoying as she could be, Penny did have her charm.

"I suppose we do have one of four bases covered."

"Also, didn't you give me something to eat once?" Penny asked.

"I did. You weren't sure what to do with food when you were first made. Kokonoe had me tend to you." Was the reply. Tager shifted his glasses again, as he tended to do when he was either deep in thought or simply thinking about the past. He was now doing both.

"So that's half! We're pretty much BFF's. But I have a question," Penny said shyly. Tager sighed again, knowing that he would continue to do so many times in this conversation.

"What is it?"

"What's a BFF?"

"It stands for best friend forever. I don't think we're that close."

"So we're just FFs?"

"If you believe us to be friends, I see no reason why we should stop."

"Really? You mean it? You're my FF?!" Penny asked, jumping up to Tager's eye level. Her movements, for all their spontaneity, were very stiff and robotic. That was to be expected, however. She was a robot. A Murakumo Unit clone, to be exact. Tager didn't know which unit's data she was made from, but he knew she was very powerful regardless. For such power to be trapped in such a childish body and mind was something he found ridiculous. Kokonoe always knew how to surprise him. His thoughts distracted him from Penny's question, and she began to poke his muscular body.

"Huh? Huh? Are we? Are we?" She asked. Tager felt his head begin to throb as she kept asking the same two things over and over.

"Yes, yes we are. I mean it." Penny squealed and hugged Tager's arm. The Red Devil gently pried her off of him, chuckling nervously.

"Yay! So...can we do friend stuff? Like talk about cute boys?" Penny asked. Tager, at this, had to chuckle.

"I don't think heterosexual males talk about 'cute boys,'" he told her.

"What's heterosexual?" Penny asked. With her, it was one question after another. Tager found himself frustrated by it. However, just when he thought of trying to make an excuse to ditch Penny, he got a phone call. He took out his phone and answered.

"Kokonoe? What is it? What?! You found them?!" Tager exclaimed. The pauses in the dialogue were clearly when Kokonoe was talking. She didn't have much to say, evidently, but what she did say was important.

"If I might ask, Kokonoe...why did you call me? We're on the way to your office anyhow." Tager's question was answered with an angry reply. Penny knew this because Tager cringed slightly when Kokonoe spoke.

"...I see. We'll be going immediately." Tager hung up, and Penny looked expectantly at him.

"So? What's up?" She asked.

"We're going to the Vytal Festival at Beacon Academy, where fighters from different schools compete to see who's strongest. You'll be entering as an undercover spy for Kokonoe. But that's not all. You are to tell absolutely no one of this mission, and you are also to accompany me to a dock where a large shipment of Dust is set to be sent. We have some enemies to fight there. Don't tell anyone of this mission either," Tager explained simply. Penny shrieked with joy.

"So I can meet more friends?!"

"Yes, yes you can."

"That's great, but...what are enemies?" Penny asked. Tager frowned.

"The exact opposite of friends. Right now, your enemies are Professor Kokonoe's enemies. Understood?"

"Understood!"

* * *

Hazama stood in the ship. It had yet to leave the docking bay, and he was waiting impatiently, tapping his foot on the metal floor and spinning a knife in his hand. His hat lay on a seat next to him, revealing his spiky hair. It shot up to the sky as if trying to free itself from him. Torchwick often joked that it was. After all, what didn't want to free itself from Hazama?

"Hey there, buddy. I see your hair is trying to get away from you again. Might want to trap it in your hat, because there's no telling what it'll try to escape from you of all people," Torchwick said, doffing his bowler hat in Hazama's direction.

"Hehehe...very funny. But why aren't you taking your comedy show on the road? I mean, you're not the kind of guy to go running around doing his own dirty work. You don't want your suit getting filthy, now," was the reply. Torchwick sat down across from the green-haired man.

"Well, I hear that one of the mongrels was captured by Kokonoe. She knows about the shipment, and it seems like you could use some help. I'm a kind man, after all," Torchwick said mysteriously.

"Kind? You? Do you have any idea how many animals died to make those shoes?" Hazama asked jokingly. Torchwick chuckled.

"Ouch. That hurts, coming from you. But in all seriousness, try not to do anything too crazy tonight. Crimson wants to check up on us, and we can't have the Imperator finding her and us in the same place because I, for one, have no idea which of those women scares more shit out of me. Besides, what if the Imperator decides to just stop observing you?" He asked. Hazama frowned.

"You could have told me about Crimson earlier, Torchwick. You know that bitch really gets on my nerves."

"Just try and play nice, okay? I don't want to have to put you two in time out," Torchwick said. His grin indicated that he was enjoying himself, feeling confident that he had the upper hand against Hazama. The two never felt at ease around each other, and so feigned camaraderie in an effort psychologically undermine the other.

"I'll play nice if she plays nice. But you know her. Crimson really loves to throw her fire around. If you're close enough, Torchwick, you just might get burned. Anyway, I think I'm gonna have a snack now. See ya, chum," Hazama said to the crime boss, walking away. He grabbed his fedora and put it gingerly on his head, hiding his wild hair.

"Hard-boiled eggs again, I presume. It wouldn't be so weird, but you swallow the damn things whole. Are you sure you're not a snake faunus?" Torchwick retorted.

"Snake? How rude. I'm just your everyday egg aficionado. I'm a grown-ass man; I don't need to be told to chew before I swallow."

"You might choke."

"Yes, mother." Hazama cackled as he walked out of the ship.

"Be back soon, Terumi. The mission starts in an hour and a half," Torchwick called out to his back.

"Yeah yeah yeah. You want me to tuck in my shirt while I'm at it? Maybe comb my hair?"

* * *

It had been a long day. It was a training day, and Noel had the misfortune of having Nora for a sparring partner. She managed to keep the fight even with her variety of weapons, but Nora was too strong and wild to be defeated. At the end of the fight, she was skipping around and making animal noises while Noel was sucking wind, trying not to let her wobbling legs from buckling and sending her plummeting to the floor. Makoto had found her tail the target of many spitballs from various bullies, and spent a lot of her day trying to get the wet wads of paper out of it with help from Noel, who often forgot what she was doing and ended up cuddling with the tail she was trying to clean. Ragna had class with Jubei again, and his new training involved him balancing heavy objects on his right arm. At the end of the day, he could hardly lift his prosthetic limb, which didn't bode well for his training, which happened immediately after his class with Jubei. Velvet Scarlatina had made quick work of him, as he relied on his right arm for far more than just activating the Azure. Without it, he was off-balance and unable to attack with his full strength. It also helped that she was exceptionally strong anyways. As for Tsubaki, she had to keep everyone motivated and that was hard enough, but she had her own troubles. She was receiving leers from team CRDL, and her self-restraint was cracking. Adding onto her hard day, she'd missed some homework due to her constant covering for Ragna and Noel during their absence. It was a small matter, but Tsubaki felt as if she had failed greatly. Team NTRM was more than ready to rest, but there was one more obstacle between them and relaxation. Makoto and Noel had just finished picking spitballs from Makoto's tail and were going to dinner when Blake, coming out of seemingly nowhere, spoke to them.

"You know that the Vytal Festival is coming up, right?" She asked slyly. Makoto was simply annoyed by the interruption, but Noel was wary. She knew how crafty Blake could be.

"Yeah we do. What does it matter?" Makoto asked testily.

"Well, I asked if I could have some training to prepare for it. Glynda gave me permission, and so here I am. She said I could pick my partner, and I think I'd like to test my skills against someone like you," Blake told the faunus. Makoto narrowed her eyes.

"...Fine. I'll kick your ass, though. Fair warning."

"Noel had better hope you don't. We made a bet a few months back. We would fight, and if you won, her poetry would be read to the entire school. If I won, only I would read it." At this, Noel paled.

"M-Makoto! Please let her win! Please!" She begged. Makoto sighed and patted Noel on the head.

"Sorry Noellie, but...I'm gonna expose your erotica-writing ways to the entire school. It's time to clean up your act," Makoto replied to her friend's pleas, her humor returning.

"What? You're betraying me?!"

"I'm helping you with an addiction, Noel."

"I don't write dirty things!"

"You don't have to lie to me. I'm your friend."

"You're not acting like it! Blake, please win! Please!" The black-haired girl smiled.

"If I win, you're going to have to hold up your end of the bargain."

"I-I will! Just please win!" Noel pleaded, completely at Blake's mercy. She knew she was getting herself into a touch situation, but she had to choose the lesser of two evils.

"I have many people eager to watch us fight, and even more eager to hear some poetry. Don't make this easy, Makoto. We're still training, after all. Oh, by the way, the fight's in two days. Fair warning," Blake said coyly. She walked away with her normal disarmingly mellow demeanor, but Noel and Makoto knew how devious she could really be.

"Wow. She's scary!" Makoto exclaimed.

"She's so mean!" Noel complained.

"Fun is more like it."

"You're not the one whose poetry she wants to read!"

* * *

**AND ANOTHER CHAPTER FINISHED! IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WORKED ON THIS STORY, BUT EPISODE 16 GAVE ME NEWFOUND INSPIRATION IN THE FORM OF MURAKUMO UNIT PENNY, BLAKE BEING AWESOME, AND ROMAN TORCHWICK BEING A TOTAL FREAKING BADASS. I DID NOT EXPECT HIM TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT, AND HE ENDS UP BEING ABLE TO HOLD OFF BLAKE AND MOGAR! IT'S CRAZY! EPISODE 16 WAS AWESOME AND A GREAT WAY TO END THE FIRST PART OF SEASON 1. DAMN, I DON'T THINK I CAN WAIT FOR SEASON 2! AS FOR WHAT'S NEXT FOR MY STORY...I DON'T THINK I WANT TO SAY. IT'S NOTHING SUPER IMPORTANT, I JUST DON'T FEEL MOTIVATED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SORRY!**

**ON AN UNRELATED NOTE, BLAZBLUE CHRONOPHANTASMA HAS COME OUT IN JAPAN! IT'S SUPER AWESOME, AND SINCE I TAKE THIS TIME TO TALK ABOUT RANDOM STUFF AND FORCE MY OPINIONS ONTO THE INTERNET, HERE ARE A FEW THOUGHTS I HAVE. IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS FOR THE GAME'S STORY, DO NOT READ ONWARD. JUST DON'T. I WON'T TALK ABOUT ANYTHING TOO MAJOR, BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPLETELY IN THE DARK, DO NOT READ ONWARD!**

**1: RAGNA'S LIFE SUCKS. ARKSYS SEEMS DETERMINED TO SCREW HIM OVER AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY. IT'S A GOOD THING THAT RAGNA'S SUCH A TOUGH GUY, BECAUSE ANY OTHER PERSON WOULD PROBABLY JUST OFF THEMSELVES IF THEY HAD TO DEAL WITH THE BULLSHIT RAGNA'S GOT TO PUT UP WITH.**

**2: I'M REALLY MIFFED AT ARKSYS FOR RIPPING NOEL OFF. THEY MADE SUCH A BIG DEAL ABOUT HOW STRONG AND BADASS SHE'S BECOME, AND SHE DOESN'T GET A SINGLE MOMENT TO SHINE! NOEL DOES SOME USEFUL STUFF, AND SURE, SHE FIGHTS TAKE-MIKAZUCHI, BUT SHE DOESN'T TO WHOLE LOT, AND SHE NEVER GETS A BADASS MOMENT TO SHOW OFF HER AWESOMENESS AND STRENGTH LIKE RAGNA, HAKUMEN, JIN, BANG, AND KAGURA GET. I MEAN, SHE'S NOT EVEN THE ONE WHO GETS TO FIGHT TSUBAKI, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S THE FIRST ONE TO HAVE A THEME WITH HER AND THEY PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON THEIR EPIC SHOWDOWN IN THE TRAILERS! TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, NOEL ONLY USES HER MU-12 FORM ONCE, AND EVEN THEN SHE GETS DEFEATED! SERIOUSLY! DAMMIT ARKSYS, GIVE YOUR LEADING LADY SOME LOVE! SHE'S BEEN NOTHING BUT USED AND VICTIMIZED AND ABUSED BY ALMOST EVERY CHARACTER IN BLAZBLUE FOR THE PAST TWO GAMES; SHE DESERVES A CHANCE TO SHOW OFF AND DO SOMETHING BIG! AT LEAST, IN THE 4TH AND MOST LIKELY FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE BLAZBLUE SERIES, ARKSYS HAS TO GIVE NOEL HER TIME TO SHINE, ESPECIALLY THAT RAGNA'S SORT OF OUT OF THE PICTURE. GO NOEL! NOEL FOR LIFE! MY OBSESSION WITH HER TOTALLY DOESN'T SEEM CREEPY AT ALL! OKAY, FANBOY RANT OVER. I THINK I HAVE A PROBLEM. **

**3: WHILE I BITCH AND MOAN ABOUT NOEL NOT DOING AS MUCH AS SHE COULD/SHOULD, THERE ARE CHARACTERS WHO HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY SIDELINED, AKA BULLET AND AMANE. I LOVE THESE TWO, BUT THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT TO THE MAIN STORY AND HAVE NO IMPACT ON IT WHATSOEVER. IF THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE GAME, NOTHING WOULD CHANGE. MAYBE I'M EXAGGERATING, BUT THERE WAS QUESTION ON ONE BLAZBLUE FORUM AS TO WHETHER AMANE EVEN HAD A STORY MODE CUT-IN. HOPEFULLY THEY'LL DO MORE IN THE NEXT GAME (BUT IF THEY GET ANY IDEAS ABOUT TAKING NOEL'S SPOTLIGHT, I'LL HAVE THEIR HEADS). EVEN AZRAEL, WHO ACTUALLY HAS A PURPOSE IN THE STORY (HE'S A PRETTY CENTRAL CHARACTER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY) GETS SIDELINED TOWARDS THE END, PRESUMABLY TO BE PUT BACK IN HIS CAGE. POOR GUY. ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS FIGHT! HOWEVER, KAGURA MUTSUKI IS VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO THE STORY. HE HAS A ROLE IN MOST AND EVEN DRIVES SOME PIVOTAL PLOT POINTS. AS A SIDE NOTE, AZRAEL'S PRSION IS DESIGNED TO SLOW THE ATOMS IN HIS BODY, PREVENTING HIM FROM MOVING. HE IS JUST THAT GODLIKE. AS ANOTHER SIDE NOTE, HE BREAKS ALL THE BONES IN A SOLDIER'S ARM JUST BY PATTING IT. AS I SAID, GODLIKE.**

**4: I DON'T WANT TO BRAG, BUT IN MY STORY _ARE YOU READY FOR THE REBEL? _I COMPLETELY NAILED KAGURA'S PERSONALITY. ALL I KNEW WAS THAT HE WAS A LAID-BACK PERVERT WHO DIDN'T LIKE THE NOL, AND I ENCOMPASSED HIM PERFECTLY. ALTHOUGH, HE DOESN'T CALL JIN 'JINJIN' AS HE DOES IN THE GAME, SOMETHING I WANT TO FIX. 'JINJIN.' KAGURA IS AWESOME. **

**5: FINALLY, RELIUS AND TERUMI ARE AWESOME. I DON'T WANT TO SAY ANY MORE, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I LOVE THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE PURE EVIL, EVEN RELIUS. APPARENTLY, THE GUY'S MORE SADISTIC THAN HE SEEMS. ALSO, TERUMI'S WIN ANIMATION AGAINST RAGNA IS PURE GENIUS, AND IT SHOULD BE HIS WIN ANIMATION AGAINST EVERYONE. HE JUST LOVES STOMPING ON PEOPLE, THAT TERUMI. I'M SURE MANY A FAN HAS FANTASIES ABOUT HIM STOMPING ON THEM. HE'S JUST THAT COOL.**


	14. He Isn't Quite The Very Model

"Hey, Relius," Hazama sighed into the phone. The ship he had been scheduled to ride was taking off. This was merely reconnaissance, however. He wanted to survey the dock and the area around it so as to plan a proper attack. He didn't want Kokonoe messing up his plans, and while he knew she wouldn't be there herself, she'd send the Red Devil, who was a formidable foe in his own right. The actual attack was to be a few days after the reconnaissance, and for the purposes of the mission, Hazama would be stationed at a high-class hotel in town.

"Hello, Hazama. Why, if I may ask, are you calling me?" Relius answered in his calm, unnervingly amicable voice. Hazama was one of the few who felt at ease with him. The two were very similar men, after all.

"I'm just checking in on our toy soldier. I want him to join us on tonight's mission, and I need to know that his, ah, medication is working." Relius chuckled, amused.

"Jin Kisaragi is properly medicated, as ordered. He is, as one would say, the perfect model of a modern major general. The Yukinesa effect is working fine, and I think it would be alright if we allow him into the world. His orders to take care of paperwork shall be terminated immediately. When do you want him at the dock?"

"The night of the robbery, just a little before it starts," Hazama said, sounding bored. Relius grinned.

"Very well, Hazama. I shall find the Major and give him his orders."

* * *

Jin Kisaragi was stationed at his office, sifting through papers. The path to his ornate wooden desk was paved by a blue carpet lined with golden trim, an island in the middle of a wooden floor. On his desk were hundreds of papers, most stacked into neat piles on his right. The rest were in front of him, waiting for him to read them and stamp on his seal of approval or denial. On his left, however, was something that didn't fit in. There was a large folder full of files. The tab of the folder was marked simply 'R,' and only the beginning of the folder was being observed, specifically the 'A' subsection. Next to the folder, there was a misshapen coffee mug with the words 'I love you' scrawled on with neat but childish writing. Behind him, a large window with laced blue curtains shielded Jin from the sun, but some rays got in the holes in the lace design and shone beams of light all around and directly on him, making a pattern of their own. He had a slender, attractive feminine figure and a disdainful scowl on his face. As he looked at the 'R' folder and his actual work simultaneously, he heard a knock on his door. He hid the 'R' folder under his pile of papers before saying anything.

"Come in," he said harshly. In walked Relius, his cape fluttering behind him dramatically. He adjusted his mask, reminiscent of the mask of a singer in an opera, and then spoke.

"I understand you've been bored by paperwork for quite some time," he said.

"I have, Colonel Relius."

"It is time for that to end. Major General Jin Kisaragi, you have been requested for a small mission lead by Captain Hazama of the Intelligence Department." Jin perked up, taking a sip from his coffee mug. It caught Relius' eye.

"Very well. When do I leave?"

"In a few days. We'll tell you more at a later time."

"Why Hazama? It's irregular for a member of the Intelligence Department to work with a member of the Praetorian Guard."

"He's doing some reconnaissance, and requires you to take part of the mission that follows his taking of reconnaissance. He will, however, be participating in said mission. NOL forces are spread thin, and he has filed the proper paperwork to preform a task outside of his jurisdictional duties. Roman Torchwick, First Lieutenant of the Intelligence Department, will also be participating."

"Torchwick...wasn't he a former crime boss?"

"Yes. The NOL, as you know, have no bias. As long as you can adequately preform the task you are assigned, you shall be accepted." Jin scoffed.

"As if you can trust scum like him. If you don't mind, Colonel, I'd like to be left alone to continue my work."

"But of course." Relius turned to leave, walking down the blue carpet as if it was a red one. As he pressed his hand against the large, blue door to Jin's office, he turned and asked the Major a question.

"Wouldn't you rather use a superior mug? The one you have is...misshapen, and could fall at any moment, thus spilling your coffee." Jin didn't look up from his paperwork as he answered.

"No," he said simply.

"Very well, Major." Relius left for good, sighing as he did so.

"The Yukianesa effect is not quite as potent as I expected. Or perhaps she is an obsession of his as well? Jin Kisaragi, you are quite the specimen..."

* * *

Blake and Makoto paced around each other, the training room full of students eager to see two of the strongest students at Beacon face off. Noel stood close to the training panel, her face red with fear and worry. Tsubaki put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Ragna did nothing. He was, ever so slightly, rooting for Makoto.

"It's weird, having Makoto fight and not be rooting for her..." Noel sighed.

"It's for a good cause," Tsubaki answered.

"I hope she forgives me."

"It's her who should be afraid of not receiving your forgiveness, Noel," Tsubaki assured her. The blonde girl nodded, but didn't look too sure.

"Go Makoto!" Yang cheered from the other end of the room.

"Shouldn't we be rooting for our teammate?" Ruby asked her sister.

"Not if you want to expose Noel's dirty little secret."

"You don't even know if she has one," Ruby scolded. Next to them, Weiss agreed.

"Ruby is right, Yang. You have no proof, only your own stubborn belief. I, for one, want to see Blake victorious. I'd like to spread our team's reputation as far as possible," she said,

"Let it go, Weiss. You're not gonna be taking over the school any time soon," Yang said playfully.

"That isn't even sort of my intent! I simply want us to be revered and feared as a team. People should know that we're formidable foes."

"So you want to get rid of any enemies you might have through intimidation? There's no way you're not trying to take over the school, you devious little snow angel!"

"Don't be so patronizing!" Weiss turned away from Yang and sighed, thinking to herself about her plans to dominate the student body. Team RWBY would be the greatest team in Beacon history, even if Weiss wasn't the leader. She'd simply pull some strings in the background, as Ruby certainly had no long-term goals for the team.

"Weiss, is Yang right?" Ruby asked her, stepping into the heiress' line of vision.

"O-Of course not! Don't blindly believe your sister, Ruby. As leader, you have to think for yourself."

"Sorry...you just seem a bit scary right now is all."

"There's nothing wrong with being intimidating," was all Weiss had to say on the matter. Her attention was turned to the training panel as Makoto made the first move.

* * *

"Super Embarrassing My Best Friend Punch!" Makoto cried, surrounding her fist with bright blue energy and punching at Blake with unnerving speed. She dashed across the panel towards her opponent, but Blake simply stepped back, spinning under the faunus' punch, and slashed with Gambol Shroud in its regular form, the main blade in its sheathe. She brought her blade across Makoto's chest backhand, striking with calculated flair. Her arm curved with her body and Makoto flew back, her Aura protecting her from any real damage. She bounced across the panel, but regained her balance and grinned, undaunted. She tried the same move, and Blake did nothing. She simply waited for an opening. Makoto redirected her strike upon seeing that Blake wasn't reacting. She jumping into the air, her fist gathering blue energy again. Her attack was aimed for Blake's head. Blake flipped back and dodged, but Makoto, immediately after her attack missed, used her hand to push herself from the ground, which cracked from the force of the punch, and channeled her new-found momentum at Blake. Then, things got odd. Makoto created temporary clones of herself that jumped into the air with her as she leaped up. Blake had no idea how she did it. Makoto wasn't that fast, not by a long shot. They just sprung from her. Blake jumped back, creating some distance, and turned Gambol Shroud into a pistol, using her ribbon to pull the trigger. She slashed across all of Makoto's clones, knowing that one of them had to be the real Makoto. The one on the left was, and she flipped over it, landing gracefully.

"What was that?" Blake asked.

"I did some studying of ninjas in elementary school."

"That's not an answer."

"Does it have to be?" Makoto stopped talking, and grinned a crazy grin before running at Blake again. This time, she used more conventional methods. Dodging Blake's pistol swipes, she got in close and fired off some punches. Blake quickly pulled back Gambol Shroud so that it hurtled towards Makoto as she danced around her fists. The faunus jumped over the pistol, landing away from Blake, who turned Gambol Shroud back into its sword form and unsheathed the second blade, the katana. Makoto then ran back in to deal some damage, punching as she had done before. She kept one fist near her body at all times so that Blake had no openings. Blake used a different tactic, blocking and attacking with both her weapons in quick succession. She used her speed to compensate for her lack of defense. As the two fought, Blake stepped back, shifting her feet so that Makoto couldn't trip her up while deflecting her punches. Which weapon Blake used was decided by which hand Makoto used to punch. She was pushing Blake to the edge of the training ring, and the black-haired girl knew she had to strike. So, using her immense speed, she dashed away from Makoto's onslaught and created multiple after-images as she used them to circle the faunus. Makoto was trapped by one person.

"Wow...Blake is really good..." Noel mused. Makoto, for her part, tried to focus on which was the real Blake. She had her heightened instincts on her side, and would use them well. Making a snap decision, Makoto punched an after-image after surrounding her fist with the deadly blue energy she'd used before. This time, however, she didn't miss. Blake didn't expect her to see through her deception, and the black-haired girl found herself slamming into a wall. She coughed furiously, dazed by the attack. Makoto then used her one chance.

"Here I come! For justice!" Makoto ran with all of her speed at her opponent, preparing to deliver the final blow. She knew Blake couldn't handle her punches, and this one was sure to knock her out. However, she wasn't done yet. Makoto's fist hit the wall as Blake shifted her head to one side, dodging the finishing blow. She then kicked Makoto in the stomach, who staggered back. Blake then got up and jumped in place, slamming her feet into the wall as she turned her body horizontally. She then pushed off of it and hurtled towards Makoto. With all of her might, she slammed into the faunus, using her agility and amazing speed to dash around her even as she flew through the air Blake delivered quick, precise strikes with both of her blades. She seemed to fly around Makoto like a wasp, flitting in and out of sight like a shadow. Each time she dashed into Makoto, the onlookers could see that she had struck. After-images nearly completely covered her opponent as Blake moved, making sure to kick Makoto back onto the training panel, as they were flying off. Blake then switched Gambol Shroud to pistol form, hurling her weapon at the wall Makoto was heading towards. She pulled herself to the faunus, who had just hit the wall and rammed her feet into her stomach, kicking off with an air of finality, doing a few flashy flips for emphasis. She had won. Makoto sighed in annoyance, trying to stay conscious, but couldn't do it.

"Ow," she said before passing out.

* * *

Blake sighed, massaging her neck. Yang booed as her teammate dragged Makoto off of the training panel. A professor quickly gave her a pill, and she woke up, shaking her head to get the kick of the pill out of her system. Blake sighed as she walked to Noel, still massaging her neck.

"Your friend can punch. She almost had me."

"But she didn't! You won! Thank you so much!" Noel flung herself at Blake, gripping her in as tight a hug as she could manage. Blake smiled kindly and gently pried Noel off.

"Sorry...I just got really excited!" She said cheerily. Tsubaki smiled.

"Thank you, Blake. I don't think Noel could have handled the embarrassment of her poetry being shown to the whole school, regardless of whether it's erotica or not."

"It was a pleasure. Makoto proved to be a challenging opponent. But Noel still has to show her poetry to me. Do you think she can handle that?" Blake asked. Noel sighed. Tsubaki did nothing, waiting to see how her friend would react. Behind them, Ragna looked on, not sure whether to be happy for Noel or disappointed for Makoto.

"...Okay. Let's go somewhere really secret, though. Do you know anywhere?" Noel asked shyly. Blake smiled.

"Of course."

* * *

While Makoto nursed her wounds, Noel looked nervously at Blake, who was sprawled out on a roof above her team's dorm. She poured through page after page of Noel's poetry, devouring it mentally. She made no noises, no chuckles or groans, so as to indicate what she thought of it. Noel hoped that Blake was liking it, seeing as how it had been an hour and she was still reading, but Blake seemed like the person who would read anything she started to the end regardless of whether she liked it or not. Noel had tried to admire the sky to take her mind off of Blake's scrutiny of her poetry, in which she expressed herself in a way no one had ever seen. She tried to take pleasure in looking at the leaves rustle as they were ripped from the trees by wind and began to flutter through the air like butterflies, their edges flapping like wings. That only brought Noel's mind back to poetry. She put everything into her poetry. Her heart and soul, her joy and sadness, her excitement and boredom, her fear and courage. All of her thoughts and feelings had been eternally embedded upon the pieces of paper she used to write, and she was so afraid that Blake would throw them aside like trash, unwanted garbage that didn't have a place in the world. For Noel, poetry was more than cute words and elegant phrases. Poetry was an expression of herself, a way to deal with stress when she didn't have a shoulder to lean on. She wrote poetry about many things, from cats to heroes to clothes to her own life. She put her own experiences into poems and put her love for her friends and family into poems as well. Blake was reading everything, from her most lighthearted pieces of work to her saddest, and Noel was afraid she'd hate it all. She was afraid that her feelings would be cast aside as if they had never been written, as if the paper was simply trash with no words. Or perhaps it was trash because of the words. Her insecurity couldn't be held back, and no matter how hard she tried, she felt like she would shatter into thousands of tiny pieces if Blake didn't like her work.

"Um...uh..." Noel tried to speak, but only nervous stutters came out for fear that her words would turn to sobs.

"I'm done, Noel." Blake said. The shy girl shrieked and crawled back in surprise.

"Ah...uh...I'm sorry!" She squeaked, not getting any closer to Blake. The black-haired girl smiled sweetly and stood up, walking to Noel after sealing her poetry up in the folder she kept for it.

"It's lovely. Your work," Blake said. She held out her hand for Noel to take hold of.

"R-Really?" Noel stuttered, not sure if she was dreaming. She felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders, as if she was flying with those leaves, being carried by a euphoric wind.

"Yes. It was adorable. I especially liked your 'Ode to Makoto's tail' and 'My Parents' Grave' poems. They were very sweet. Noel, you put your heart and soul into your work. You don't simply write words, ignoring any sense of purpose; your poetry has direction. It has a goal. It is an expression of all the feelings you don't want to show, all the happiness and sadness you don't want known so that people can't shatter them. From the silly poetry to the serious, you made sure to put what you were feeling onto that paper. You've had a hard life, and like all great writers, you use that life as fuel for your work. Your work is so wonderful because of the emotion you put into it. Maybe you should show it to more people. I'm sure your friends would love it," Blake said, speaking for the longest time Noel had ever heard her spoken. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about Blake's words.

"Wow...you should be a poet," she said to the black-haired girl. Blake grinned.

"While I'd certainly like to make a mark on history with my work, I think I'll choose a different field to do so in. If being a Huntress doesn't work out for you, though, poetry is certainly a viable option. But don't worry, Noel. You'll be as great of a Huntress as you are a poet. Ozpin wouldn't have made you leader otherwise." Noel beamed.

"Y-You're just saying that..." She said, trying to be modest. However, Noel was very happy that Blake had so much faith in her. She stood up and looked Blake in the eye. The black-haired girl noticed that tears began to fall from Noel's eyes, and she embraced Blake tightly.

"Thank you..." She sighed. Blake, this time, hugged her back.

"But nothing's without flaws, Noel. Your poetry...well, sometimes you incorrectly use words, like in your 'Bullet Dance' poem, which I did enjoy otherwise, by the way. Also, you can ramble on a little. While I did like your 'My friend Ragna' poem, you took quite a bit of time to call him stupid without focusing on any other area," the black-haired girl said, not sure how Noel would react. However, she did want to offer criticism as well as praise.

"R-Ramble? Incorrectly use words? I...I had no idea..." Noel stuttered. Blake sighed.

"Nothing's perfect, Noel. So you made mistakes. Who doesn't?" Noel sighed.

"Sorry...I can be sensitive about my work..."

"Everyone is. It's fine."

"Blake?"

"Yes?"

"I want to write a poem about you."

"Go ahead. I'd love to read it when it's done."

"Really?!"

"Of course. Also, can I take one of your poems with me?" Noel looked confused and reluctant, but decided that Blake deserved it.

"Which one?" She asked.

"'Panda Parade.'" Noel paled at Blake's request.

"But...that's my favorite...it has so many pandas!"

"Remember what I did for you, Noel," Blake said mysteriously.

"...Fine." Noel sighed and let her take the poem. Blake was, truly, an interesting person. She'd never been so fond yet so scared of someone in her life. Well, except Ragna, but he was just intimidating. Blake, on the other hand, was frightening. Even so, she was still a very kind person, and someone who Noel vert happy to call her friend.

* * *

"Wake up, Makoto," Tsubaki said gently. She had overslept thanks to her fight with Blake and the side effects of the pill she'd taken to recover.

"Huh?" She asked, looking at her friends. They were all dressed in casual clothes.

"What is it?" She asked again.

"We're going to look around town! We have a vacation day before the Vytal Festival!" Noel exclaimed excitedly.

"Makoto, here's your lunch and your spending money. Now, you need to get ready because the ship leaves very soon and I don't want to be late. It would throw off our schedule," Tsubaki said, handing Makoto some Lien and a paper bag that smelled of chestnuts.

"Huh? Schedule?" Ragna sighed in annoyance.

"Yes. I planned our departure so we could visit the maximum amount of stores we could possibly go to without worrying about closing times. I made lunches so we could eliminate the hassle of restaurants or food courts-" Tsubaki was interrupted by a yawn. She scowled at Ragna.

"Let's just talk about this on the ship. By the time you open your mouth, I'll probably have passed out, anyway," he said.

"Can someone dress me?" Makoto asked.

"Makoto..." Tsubaki warned. Noel ran off to get Makoto's clothes, but Ragna stopped her.

"Let her do it herself," he said.

* * *

"Jin Kisaragi, your orders have changed," Relius said. He had stopped Jin on the way to his lunch break. The blue, dimly lit halls set the scene for their conversation. Jin sighed and turned to the colonel.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly.

"Your orders have changed. Hazama wants you to take a ship to the Vytal Festival festivities in town." Jin raised an eyebrow, annoyed at how suddenly the order had come.

"Why? What does that snake want?" He asked, scowling his usual scowl.

"Hazama...realized a flaw in his plan. He needs you there earlier. You'll be sharing a room with him at the hotel, by the way. Hopefully you'll be prepared for that experience," Relius answered. Jin didn't like his explanation, but followed his orders.

"Go to the docking bay. A ship will be waiting. Also, put on the casual clothes the pilot will offer you. This mission involves a degree of stealth, after all." Relius walked off.

"Good luck," he said as he left. Jin's angry expression darkened as he looked at the colonel's retreating figure. He watched Relius go around a corner and walked in the opposite direction.

"Yes, I gave him the order. I'm glad you took my advice. Jin Kisaragi seems to still have lingering feelings for Tsubaki Yayoi. The Yukianesa effect is clearly not strong enough. Well, that or he's resisting it. Or Tsubaki's an obsession of his as well. There are quite a few possibilities, actually, but what matters is that we test him. Now, we just have to find a way to separate Tsubaki from Ragna Mutsuki and Noel Vermillion. Optionally, it would also help with the testing if we could separate her from Makoto Nanaya as well, but it matters not if we fail to do so. We can't have the Major flying off the handle quite yet," Relius said quietly, having called Hazama. He walked with purpose and drive, taking some stairs down to a metal basement area devoid of color. He heard Hazama sigh at his words.

"Relius...do your goddamn job. I don't want loose ends, especially not ones like our Hero of Ikaruga. Make the Yukinesa effect work and get the modern Major General to meet up with the incestuous piece of trash. If we haven't got him under control, well, that isn't a good sign. Solve this, Relius." Hazama hung up quickly, leaving Relius to chuckle to himself.

"Can you not see the opportunity I have here, Hazama?" He asked the air.

* * *

**FINISHED! I REALLY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY BESIDES THE FACT THAT I REALLY LOVE NOEL'S WRITING OF POETRY, AND I WANTED TO PORTRAY WHAT I THINK IT MEANS TO HER IN THIS CHAPTER. ALSO, EXPECT FUNNY VYTAL FESTIVAL STUFF, CUTE JIN AND TSUBAKI SCENES, AND MORE FORESHADOWING, BECAUSE I THINK I'VE BEEN NEGLECTING BLAZBLUE'S BRILLIANT REDHEAD. ALSO ALSO, DID ANYONE CATCH MY PIRATES OF PENZANCE REFERENCE? AND I REALLY NEED TO WORK IN A GAVIN FREE REFERENCE SOON.  
**


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